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HOMO  SUM 


A    NOVEL 


BY 


GEORG    EBERS 

AUTHOR  OF  "UARDA."  ETC. 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 
£*U  FORMAL 

From  the   German   by   CLARA   BELL. 


AUTHORIZED  EDITION. 

NEW    YORK 
WILLIAM   S.   GOTTSBERGER,   PUBLISHER 

11   MURRAY  STREET 

1888 


Copyright,  1880,  by  William  S.  Gottsberger. 


Published  by  authority  of  the 

Author  and  of  Baron  Tauchnitz. 


TO 

ALMA   TADEMA,  M.  A. 

THE    GREAT    MASTER    OF    PICTORIAL    REPRESENTATION 
OF    THE    LIFE    OF   THE    ANCIENTS 

THIS    TALE    IS    DEDICATED 

WITH    SINCERE    REGARD    BY 

THE    AUTHOR. 


183644 


Homo  sum  :  humani  nihil  a  me  alienum  puto. 

Terence,   Heautontimorumenos.  25. 


•RSITY 

OF 

PREFACE. 


In  the  course  of  my  labors  preparatory  to  writing 
a  history  of  the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  the  study  of  the  first 
centuries  of  Christianity  for  a  long  time  claimed  my 
attention ;  and  in  the  mass  of  martyrology,  of  ascetic 
writings,  and  of  histories  of  saints  and  monks,  which  it 
was  necessary  to  work  through  and  sift  for  my  strictly 
limited  object,  I  came  upon  a  narrative  (in  Cotelerius 
Ecclesiae  Grecae  Monumenta)  which  seemed  to  me  pe- 
culiar and  touching  notwithstanding  its  improbability. 
Sinai  and  the  oasis  of  Pharan  which  lies  at  its  foot  were 
the  scene  of  action. 

When,  in  my  journey  through  Arabia  Petraea,  I  saw 
the  caves  of  the  anchorites  of  Sinai  with  my  own  eyes 
and  trod  their  soil  with  my  own  feet,  that  story  recurred 
to  my  mind  and  did  not  cease  to  haunt  me  while  I 
travelled  on  farther  in  the  desert. 

A  soul's  problem  of  the  most  exceptional  type 
seemed  to  me  to  be  offered  by  the  simple  course  of  this 
little  history. 

An  anchorite,  falsely  accused  instead  of  another, 
takes  his  punishment  of  expulsion  on  himself  without 
exculpating  himself,  and  his  innocence  becomes  known 
only  through  the  confession  of  the  real  culprit. 

There  was  a  peculiar  fascination  in  imagining  what 
the  emotions  of  a  soul  might  be  which  could  lead  to 
such  apathy  (artaSeia),  to  such  an  annihilation  of  all 
sensibility;  and  while  the  very  deeds  and  thoughts  of  the 
strange  cave-dweller  grew  more  and  more  vivid  in  my 
mind  the  figure  of  Paulus  took  form,  as  it  were  as  an 
example,  and  soon  a  crowd  of  ideas  gathered  round  it, 

Homo  Sum.  i 


2  PREFACE. 

growing  at  last  to  a  distinct  entity,  which  excited  and 
urged  me  on  till  I  ventured  to  give  it  artistic  expression 
in  the  form  of  a  narrative.  I  was  prompted  to  elaborate 
this  subject — which  had  long  been  shaping  itself  to  per- 
fect conception  in  my  mind  as  ripe  material  for  a  romance 
— by  my  readings  in  Coptic  monkish  annals,  to  which 
I  was  led  by  Abel's  Coptic  studies ;  and  I  afterwards 
received  a  further  stimulus  from  the  small  but  weighty 
essay  by  H.  Weingarten  on  the  origin  of  monasticism, 
in  which  I  still  study  the  early  centuries  of  Christianity, 
especially  in  Egypt. 

This  is  not  the  place  in  which  to  indicate  the  points 
on  which  I  feel  myself  obliged  to  differ  from  Wein- 
garten. My  acute  fellow-laborer  at  Breslau  clears  away 
much  which  does  not  deserve  to  remain,  but  in  many 
parts  of  his  book  he  seems  to  me  to  sweep  with  too 
hard  a  broom. 

Easy  as  it  would  have  been  to  lay  the  date  of  my 
story  in  the  beginning  of  the  fortieth  year  of  the  fourth 
century  instead  of  the  thirtieth,  I  have  forborne  from 
doing  so  because  I  feel  able  to  prove  with  certainty  that 
at  the  time  which  I  have  chosen  there  were  not  only 
heathen  recluses  (eyKSHXeiffjusvoi)  in  the  temples  of 
Serapis  but  also  Christian  anchorites;  I  fully  agree 
with  him  that  the  beginnings  of  organized  Christian 
monasticism  can  in  no  case  be  dated  earlier  than  the 
year  350. 

The  Paulus  of  my  story  must  not  be  confounded 
with  the  "  first  hermit,"  Paulus  of  Thebes,  whom  Wein- 
garten has  with  good  reason  struck  out  of  the  category 
of  historical  personages.  He,  with  all  the  figures  in 
this  narrative,  is  a  purely  fictitious  person,  the  vehicle 
for  an  idea,  neither  more  nor  less.     I  selected  no  par- 


PREFACE.  3 

ticular  model  for  my  hero,  and  I  claim  for  him  no  at- 
tribute but  that  of  his  having  been  possible  at  the  period; 
least  of  all  did  I  think  of  Saint  Anthony,  who  is  now 
deprived  even  of  his  distinguished  biographer  Athana- 
sius,  and  who  is  represented  as  a  man  of  very  sound 
judgment  but  of  so  scant  an  education  that  he  was 
master  only  of  Egyptian. 

The  dogmatic  controversies  which  were  already 
kindled  at  the  time  of  my  story  I  have,  on  careful  con- 
sideration, avoided  mentioning.  The  dwellers  on  Sinai 
and  in  the  oasis  took  an  eager  part  in  them  at  a  later 
date. 

That  Mount  Sinai  to  which  I  desire  to  transport  the 
Teader  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  mountain 
which  lies  at  a  long  day's  journey  to  the  south  of  it. 
It  is  this  that  has  borne  the  name,  at  any  rate  since  the 
time  of  Justinian;  the  celebrated  convent  of  the  Trans- 
figuration lies  at  its  foot,  and  it  has  been  commonly  ac- 
cepted as  the  Sinai  of  Scripture.  In  the  description  of 
my  journey  through  Arabia  Petraea  I  have  endeavored 
to  bring  fresh  proof  of  the  view,  first  introduced  by 
Lepsius,  that  the  giant-mountain,  now  called  Serbal, 
must  be  regarded  as  the  mount  on  which  the  law  was 
given — and  was  indeed  so  regarded  before  the  time  of 
Justinian — and  not  the  Sinai  of  the  monks. 

As  regards  the  stone  house  of  the  Senator  Petrus, 
with  its  windows  opening  on  the  street — contrary  to 
eastern  custom — I  may  remark,  in  anticipation  of  well- 
founded  doubts,  that  to  this  day  wonderfully  well- 
preserved  fire-proof  walls  stand  in  the  oasis  of  Pharan, 
the  remains  of  a  pretty  large  number  of  similar  buildings. 

But  these  and  such  external  details  hold  a  quite 
secondary  place  in  this  study  of  a  soul.     While  in  my 


4  PREFACE. 

earlier  romances  the  scholar  was  compelled  to  make 
concessions  to  the  poet  and  the  poet  to  the  scholar,  in 
this  one  I  have  not  attempted  to  instruct,  nor  sought 
to  clothe  the  outcome  of,  my  studies  in  forms  of  flesh 
and  blood ;  I  have  aimed  at  absolutely  nothing  but  to 
give  artistic  expression  to  the  vivid  realization  of  an 
idea  that  had  deeply  stirred  my  soul.  The  simple  fig- 
ures whose  inmost  being  I  have  endeavored  to  reveal 
to  the  reader  fill  the  canvas  of  a  picture  where,  in  the 
dark  background,  rolls  the  flowing  ocean  of  the  world's 
history. 

The  Latin  title  was  suggested  to  me  by  an  often 
used  motto  which  exactly  agrees  with  the  fundamental 
view  to  which  I  have  been  led  by  my  meditations  on 
the  mind  and  being  of  man  •  even  of  those  men  who 
deem  that  they  have  climbed  the  very  highest  steps 
of  that  stair  which  leads  into  the  Heavens. 

In  the  Heautontimorumenos  of  Terence,  Chremes 
answers  his  neighbor  Menedemus  (Act  I,  Sc.  i,  v.  25) : 

"  Homo  sum ;  humani  nil  a  me  alienum  puto," 
which  Donner  translates  literally : 

"  I  am  human,  nothing  that  is  human  can  I  regard 
as  alien  to  me." 

But  Cicero  and  Seneca  already  used  this  line  as  a 
proverb,  and  in  a  sense  which  far  transcends  that  which 
it  would  seem  to  convey  in  context  with  the  passage 
whence  it  is  taken ;  and  as  I  coincide  with  them,  I  have 
transferred  it  to  the  title-page  of  this  book  with  this 
meaning  : 

"  I  am  a  man ;  and  I  feel  that  I  am  above  all  else  a 
man." 

Leipzig,  November  u,  1877. 

Georg  Ebers. 


HOMO    SUM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Rocks — naked,  hard,  red-brown  rocks  all  round ; 
not  a  bush,  not  a  blade,  not  a  clinging  moss  such  as 
elsewhere  nature  has  lightly  flung  on  the  rocky  surface 
of  the  heights,  as  if  a  breath  of  her  creative  life  had 
softly  touched  the  barren  stone.  Nothing  but  smooth 
granite,  and  above  it  a  sky  as  bare  of  cloud  as  the  rocks 
are  of  shrubs  and  herbs. 

And  yet  in  every  cave  of  the  mountain  wall  there 
moves  a  human  life;  two  small  grey  birds  too  float 
softly  in  the  pure,  light  air  of  the  desert  that  glows  in 
the  noonday  sun,  and  then  they  vanish  behind  a  range 
of  cliffs,  which  shuts  in  the  deep  gorge  as  though  it 
were  a  wall  built  by  man. 

There  it  is  pleasant  enough,  for  a  spring  bedews  the 
stony  soil  and  there,  as  wherever  any  moisture  touches 
the  desert,  aromatic  plants  thrive,  and  umbrageous 
bushes  grow.  When  Osiris  embraced  the  goddess  of 
the  desert — so  runs  the  Egyptian  myth — he  left  his 
green  wreath  on  her  couch. 

But  at  the  time  and  in  the  sphere  where  our  history 
moves  the  old  legends  are  no  longer  known  or  are 
ignored.  We  must  carry  the  reader  back  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  thirtieth  year  of  the  fourth  century  after 
the  birth  of  the  Saviour,  and  away  to  the  mountains  of 


6  HOMO    SUM. 

Sinai  on  whose  sacred  ground  solitary  anchorites  have 
for  some  few  years  been  dwelling — men  weary  of  the 
world,  and  vowed  to  penitence,  but  as  yet  without  con- 
nection or  rule  among  themselves. 

Near  the  spring  in  the  little  ravine  of  which  we  have 
spoken  grows  a  many-branched  feathery  palm,  but  it 
does  not  shelter  it  from  the  piercing  rays  of  the  sun  of 
those  latitudes ;  it  seems  only  to  protect  the  roots  of 
the  tree  itself;  still  the  feathered  boughs  are  strong 
enough  to  support  a  small  thread-bare  blue  cloth,  which 
projects  like  a  penthouse,  screening  the  face  of  a  girl 
who  lies  dreaming,  stretched  at  full-length  on  the  glow- 
ing stones,  while  a  few  yellowish  mountain-goats  spring 
from  stone  to  stone  in  search  of  pasture  as  gaily  as 
though  they  found  the  midday  heat  pleasant  and  ex- 
hilarating. From  time  to  time  the  girl  seizes  the  herds- 
man's crook  that  lies  beside  her,  and  calls  the  goats 
with  a  hissing  cry  that  is  audible  at  a  considerable 
distance.  A  young  kid  comes  dancing  up  to  her.  Few 
beasts  can  give  expression  to  their  feelings  of  delight - 
but  young  goats  can. 

The  girl  puts  out  her  bare  slim  foot,  and  playfully 
pushes  back  the  little  kid  who  attacks  her  in  fun,  pushes 
it  again  and  again  each  time  it  skips  forward,  and  in  so 
doing  the  shepherdess  bends  her  toes  as  gracefully 
as  if  she  wished  some  looker-on  to  admire  their  slender 
form.  Once  more  the  kid  springs  forward,  and  this 
time  with  its  head  down.  Its  brow  touches  the  sole  of 
her  foot,  but  as  it  rubs  its  little  hooked  nose  tenderly 
against  the  girl's  foot,  she  pushes  it  back  so  violently 
that  the  little  beast  starts  away,  and  ceases  its  game 
with  loud  bleating. 

It  was  just  as  if  the  girl  had  been  waiting  for  the 


HOMO    SUM.  7 

right  moment  to  hit  the  kid  sharply;  for  the  kick  was  a 
hard  one — almost  a  cruel  one.  The  blue  cloth  hid  the 
face  of  the  maiden,  but  her  eyes  must  surely  have 
sparkled  brightly  when  she  so  roughly  stopped  the 
game.  For  a  minute  she  remained  motionless;  but 
the  cloth,  which  had  fallen  low  over  her  face,  waved 
gently  to  and  fro,  moved  by  her  fluttering  breath.  She 
was  listening  with  eager  attention,  with  passionate  ex- 
pectation ;  her  convulsively  clenched  toes  betrayed  her. 

Then  a  noise  became  audible;  it  came  from  the 
direction  of  the  rough  stair  of  unhewn  blocks,  which  led 
from  the  steep  wall  of  the  ravine  down  to  the  spring. 
A  shudder  of  terror  passed  through  the  tender,  and  not 
yet  fully  developed  limbs  of  the  shepherdess;  still  she  did 
not  move ;  the  grey  birds  which  were  now  sitting  on  a 
thorn-bush  near  her  flew  up,  but  they  had  merely  heard 
a  noise,  and  could  not  distinguish  who  it  was  that  it 
announced. 

The  shepherdess's  ear  was  sharper  than  theirs.  She 
heard  that  a  man  was  approaching,  and  well  knew  that 
one  only  trod  with  such  a  step.  She  put  out  her  hand 
for  a  stone  that  lay  near  her,  and  flung  it  into  the  spring 
so  that  the  waters  immediately  became  troubled ;  then 
she  turned  on  her  side,  and  lay  as  if  asleep  with  her 
head  on  her  arm.  The  heavy  steps  became  more  and 
more  distinctly  audible. 

A  tall  youth  was  descending  the  rocky  stair ;  by  his 
dress  he  was  seen  to  be  one  of  the  anchorites  of  Sinai, 
for  he  wore  nothing  but  a  shirt-shaped  garment  of  coarse 
linen,  which  he  seemed  to  have  outgrown,  and  raw 
leather  sandals,  which  were  tied  on  to  his  feet  with 
fibrous  palm-bast. 

No  slave  could  be  more  poorly  clothed  by  his  owner 


8  HOMO    SUM. 

and  yet  no  one  would  have  taken  him  for  a  bondman, 
for  he  walked  erect  and  self-possessed.  He  could  not 
be  more  than  twenty  years  of  age ;  that  was  evident  in 
the  young  soft  hair  on  his  upper  lip,  chin,  and  cheeks ; 
but  in  his  large  blue  eyes  there  shone  no  light  of  youth, 
only  discontent,  and  his  lips  were  firmly  closed  as  if  in 
defiance. 

He  now  stood  still,  and  pushed  back  from  his  fore- 
head the  superabundant  and  unkempt  brown  hair  that 
flowed  round  his  head  like  a  lion's  mane ;  then  he  ap- 
proached the  well,  and  as  he  stooped  to  draw  the  water 
in  the  large  dried  gourd-shell  which  he  held,  he  observed 
first  that  the  spring  was  muddy,  and  then  perceived  the 
goats,  and  at  last  their  sleeping  mistress. 

He  impatiently  set  down  the  vessel  and  called  the 
girl  loudly,  but  she  did  not  move  till  he  touched  her 
somewhat  roughly  with  his  foot.  Then  she  sprang  up 
as  if  stung  by  an  asp,  and  two  eyes  as  black  as  night 
flashed  at  him  out  of  her  dark  young  face ;  the  delicate 
nostrils  of  her  aquiline  nose  quivered,  and  her  white 
teeth  gleamed  as  she  cried : 

"  Am  I  a  dog  that  you  wake  me  in  this  fashion  ?  " 

He  colored,  pointed  sullenly  to  the  well  and  said 
sharply :  "  Your  cattle  have  troubled  the  water  again  ; 
I  shall  have  to  wait  here  till  it  is  clear  and  I  can  draw 
some." 

"  The  day  is  long,"  answered  the  shepherdess,  and 
while  she  rose  she  pushed,  as  if  by  chance,  another 
stone  into  the  water. 

Her  triumphant,  flashing  glance  as  she  looked  down 
into  the  troubled  spring  did  not  escape  the  young  man, 
and  he  exclaimed  angrily : 


HOMO    SUM.  9 

"He  is  right!  You  are  a  venomous  snake — a 
demon  of  hell." 

She  raised  herself  and  made  a  face  at  him,  as  if  she 
wished  to  show  him  that  she  really  was  some  horrible 
fiend ;  the  unusual  sharpness  of  her  mobile  and  youth- 
ful features  gave  her  a  particular  facility  for  doing  so. 
And  she  fully  attained  her  end,  for  he  drew  back  with 
a  look  of  horror,  stretched  out  his  arms  to  repel  her, 
and  exclaimed  as  he  saw  her  uncontrollable  laughter, 

"  Back,  demon,  back !  In  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
I  ask  thee,  who  art  thou  ?  " 

"  I  am  Miriam — who  else  should  I  be  ? "  she  an- 
swered haughtily. 

He  had  expected  a  different  reply,  her  vivacity  an- 
noyed him,  and  he  said  angrily,  "  Whatever  your  name 
is  you  are  a  fiend,  and  I  will  ask  Paulus  to  forbid  you 
to  water  your  beasts  at  our  well." 

"  You  might  run  to  your  nurse,  and  complain  of  me 
to  her  if  you  had  one,"  she  answered,  pouting  her  lips 
contemptuously  at  him. 

He  colored ;  she  went  on  boldly,  and  with  eager 
play  of  gesture. 

"  You  ought  to  be  a  man,  for  you  are  strong  and 
big,  but  you  let  yourself  be  kept  like  a  child  or  a  miser- 
able girl  j  your  only  business  is  to  hunt  for  roots  and 
berries,  and  fetch  water  in  that  wretched  thing  there.  I 
have  learned  to  do  that  ever  since  I  was  as  big  as  that!" 
and  she  indicated  a  contemptibly  little  measure,  with 
the  outstretched  pointed  fingers  of  her  two  hands,  which 
were  not  less  expressively  mobile  than  her  features. 
"  Phoh !  you  are  stronger  and  taller  than  all  the  Ama- 
lekite  lads  down  there,  but  you  never  try  to  measure 


IO  HOMO    SUM. 

yourself  with  them  in  shooting  with  a  bow  and  arrows 
or  in  throwing  a  spear !  " 

"  If  I  only  dared  as  much  as  I  wish  ! "  he  interrupted,, 
and  flaming  scarlet  mounted  to  his  face,  "  I  would  be  a 
match  for  ten  of  those  lean  rascals." 

"  I  believe  you,"  replied  the  girl,  and  her  eager 
glance  measured  the  youth's  broad  breast  and  muscular 
arms  with  an  expression  of  pride.  "  I  believe  you,  but 
why  do  you  not  dare  ?  Are  you  the  slave  of  that  man 
up  there  ?  " 

"  He  is  my  father  and  besides — " 

"  What  besides  ?  "  she  cried,  waving  her  hand  as  if 
to  wave  away  a  bat.  "  If  no  bird  ever  flew  away  from 
the  nest  there  would  be  a  pretty  swarm  in  it.  Look  at 
my  kids  there — as  long  as  they  need  their  mother  they 
run  about  after  her,  but  as  soon  as  they  can  find  their 
food  alone  they  seek  it  wherever  they  can  find  it,  and  I 
can  tell  you  the  yearlings  there  have  quite  forgotten 
whether  they  sucked  the  yellow  dam  or  the  brown  one. 
And  what  great  things  does  your  father  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Silence ! "  interrupted  the  youth  with  excited  in- 
dignation. "  The  evil  one  speaks  through  thee.  Get 
thee  from  me,  for  I  dare  not  hear  that  which  I  dare  not 
utter." 

"  Dare,  dare,  dare ! "  she  sneered.  "  What  do  you 
dare  then  ?  not  even  to  listen  ! " 

"  At  any  rate  not  to  what  you  have  to  say,  you 
goblin  !  "  he  exclaimed  vehemently.  "  Your  voice  is 
hateful  to  me,  and  if  I  meet  you  again  by  the  well  I 
will  drive  you  away  with  stones." 

While  he  spoke  thus  she  stared  speechless  at  him, 
the  blood  had  left  her  lips,  and  she  clenched  her  small 
hands.     He  was  about  to  pass  her  to  fetch  some  water, 


HOMO    SUM.  II 

but  she  stepped  into  his  path,  and  held  him  spell-bound 
with  the  fixed  gaze  of  her  eyes.  A  cold  chill  ran  through 
him  when  she  asked  him  with  trembling  lips  and  a 
smothered  voice,  "  What  harm  have  I  done  you  ?  " 

"  Leave  me !  "  said  he,  and  he  raised  his  hand  to- 
push  her  away  from  the  water. 

"  You  shall  not  touch  me,"  she  cried  beside  herself. 
"  What  harm  have  I  done  you  ?  " 

"  You  know  nothing  of  God,"  he  answered,  "  and 
he  who  is  not  of  God  is  of  the  Devil." 

"  You  do  not  say  that  of  yourself,"  answered  she,, 
and  her  voice  recovered  its  tone  of  light  mockery. 
"  What  they  let  you  believe  pulls  the  wires  of  your 
tongue  just  as  a  hand  pulls  the  strings  of  a  puppet. 
Who  told  you  that  I  was  of  the  Devil  ?  " 

"  Why  should  I  conceal  it  from  you  ?  "  he  answered 
proudly.  "  Our  pious  Paulus,  warned  me  against  you 
and  I  will  thank  him  for  it.  '  The  evil  one,'  he  says, 
'  looks  out  of  your  eyes,'  and  he  is  right,  a  thousand 
times  right.  When  you  look  at  me  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
tread  every  thing  that  is  holy  under  foot ;  only  last  night 
again  I  dreamed  I  was  whirling  in  a  dance  with  you — '" 

At  these  words  all  gravity  and  spite  vanished  from 
Miriam's  eyes ;  she  clapped  her  hands  and  cried,  "  If  it 
had  only  been  the  fact  and  not  a  dream  !  Only  do  not 
be  frightened  again,  you  fool !  Do  you  know  then 
what  it  is  when  the  pipes  sound,  and  the  lutes  tinkle, 
and  our  feet  fly  round  in  circles  as  if  they  had  wings  ?  " 

"  The  wings  of  Satan,"  Hermas  interrupted  sternly. 
"  You  are  a  demon,  a  hardened  heathen." 

"  So  says  our  pious  Paulus,"  laughed  the  girl. 

"  So  say  I  too,"  cried  the  young  man.     "  Who  ever 


12  HOMO    SUM. 

saw  you  in  the  assemblies  of  the  just  ?  Do  you  pray  ? 
Do  you  ever  praise  the  Lord  and  our  Saviour  ?  " 

"  And  what  should  I  praise  them  for  ?  "  asked  Mir- 
iam. "  Because  I  am  regarded  as  a  foul  fiend  by  the 
most  pious  among  you  perhaps  ?  " 

"  But  it  is  because  you  are  a  sinner  that  Heaven  de- 
nies you  its  blessing." 

"  No — no,  a  thousand  times  no  ! "  cried  Miriam. 
V  No  god  has  ever  troubled  himself  about  me.  And  if 
I  am  not  good,  why  should  I  be  when  nothing  but  evil 
«ver  has  fallen  to  my  share  ?  Do  you  know  who  I  am 
and  how  I  became  so  ?  I  was  wicked,  perhaps,  when 
both  my  parents  were  slain  in  their  pilgrimage  hither  ? 
Why,  I  was  then  no  more  than  six  years  old,  and  what 
is  a  child  of  that  age  ?  But  still  I  very  well  remember 
that  there  were  many  camels  grazing  near  our  house, 
and  horses  too  that  belonged  to  us,  and  that  on  a  hand 
that  often  caressed  me — it  was  my  mother's  hand — a 
large  jewel  shone.  I  had  a  black  slave  too  that  obeyed 
me;  when  she  and  I  did  not  agree  I  used  to  hang  on 
to  her  grey  woolly  hair  and  beat  her.  Who  knows 
what  may  have  become  of  her?  I  did  not  love  her, 
but  if  I  had  her  now,  how  kind  I  would  be  to  her. 
And  now  for  twelve  years  I  myself  have  eaten  the  bread 
of  servitude,  and  have  kept  Senator  Petrus's  goats,  and 
if  I  ventured  to  show  myself  at  a  festival  among  the 
free  maidens,  they  would  turn  me  out  and  pull  the 
wreath  out  of  my  hair.  And  am  I  to  be  thankful? 
What  for,  I  wonder  ?  And  pious  ?  What  god  has 
taken  any  care  of  me  ?  Call  me  an  evil  demon — call 
me  so !  But  if  Petrus  and  your  Paulus  there  say  that 
He  who  is  up  above  us  and  who  let  me  grow  up  to  such 
a  lot  is  good,  they  tell  a  lie.     God  is  cruel,  and  it  is  just 


HOMO    SUM.  13 

like  Him  to  put  it  into  your  heart  to  throw  stones  and 
scare  me  away  from  your  well." 

With  these  words  she  burst  out  into  bitter  sobs,  and 
her  features  worked  with  various  and  passionate  dis- 
tortion. 

Hermas  felt  compassion  for  the  weeping  Miriam. 
He  had  met  her  a  hundred  times  and  she  had  shown 
herself  now  haughty,  now  discontented,  now  exacting 
and  now  wrathful,  but  never  before  soft  or  sad.  To-day, 
for  the  first  time,  she  had  opened  her  heart  to  him ;  the 
tears  which  disfigured  her  countenance  gave  her  char- 
acter a  value  which  it  had  never  before  had  in  his  eyes, 
and  when  he  saw  her  weak  and  unhappy  he  felt 
ashamed  of  his  hardness.  He  went  up  to  her  kindly 
and  said:  "  You  need  not  cry ;  come  to  the  well  again 
always,  I  will  not  prevent  you." 

His  deep  voice  sounded  soft  and  kind  as  he  spoke, 
but  she  sobbed  more  passionately  than  before,  almost 
convulsively,  and  she  tried  to  speak  but  she  could  not. 
Trembling  in  every  slender  limb,  shaken  with  grief,  and 
overwhelmed  with  sorrow,  the  slight  shepherdess  stood 
before  him,  and  he  felt  as  if  he  must  help  her.  His 
passionate  pity  cut  him  to  the  heart  and  fettered  his  by 
no  means  ready  tongue. 

As  he  could  find  no  word  of  comfort,  he  took  the 
water-gourd  in  his  left  hand  and  laid  his  right,  in  which 
ho  had  hitherto  held  it,  gently  on  her  shoulder.  She 
started,  but  she  let  him  do  it ;  he  felt  her  warm  breath ; 
he  would  have  drawn  back,  but  he  felt  as  if  he  could 
not ;  he  hardly  knew  whether  she  was  crying  Qr  laugh- 
ing while  she  let  his  hand  rest  on  her  black  waving 
hair. 

She  did  not  move.     At  last  she  raised  her  head,  her 


14  HOMO    SUM. 

€yes  flashed  into  his,  and  at  the  same  instant  he  felt  two 
slender  arms  clasped  round  his  neck.  He  felt  as  if  a 
sea  were  roaring  in  his  ears,  and  fire  blazing  in  his  eyes. 
A  nameless  anguish  seized  him ;  he  tore  himself  vio- 
lently free,  and  with  a  loud  cry  as  if  all  the  spirits  of 
hell  were  after  him  he  fled  up  the  steps  that  led  from 
the  well,  and  heeded  not  that  his  water-jar  was  shattered 
into  a  thousand  pieces  against  the  rocky  wall. 

She  stood  looking  after  him  as  if  spell-bound.  Then 
she  struck  her  slender  hand  against  her  forehead,  threw 
herself  down  by  the  spring  again  and  stared  into  space; 
there  she  lay  motionless,  only  her  mouth  continued  to 
twitch. 

When  the  shadow  of  the  palm-tree  grew  longer  she 
sprang  up,  called  her  goats,  and  looked  up,  listening,  to 
the  rock-steps  by  which  he  had  vanished ;  the  twilight 
is  short  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  tropics,  and  she 
knew  that  she  would  be  overtaken  by  the  darkness  on 
the  stony  and  fissured  road  down  the  valley  if  she 
lingered  any  longer.  She  feared  the  terrors  of  the  night, 
the  spirits  and  demons,  and  a  thousand  vague  dangers 
whose  nature  she  could  not  have  explained  even  to 
herself;  and  yet  she  did  not  stir  from  the  spot  nor  cease 
listening  and  waiting  for  his  return  till  the  sun  had 
disappeared  behind  the  sacred  mountain,  and  the  glow 
in  the  west  had  paled. 

All  around  was  as  still  as  death,  she  could  hear  her- 
self breathe,  and  as  the  evening  chill  fell  she  shuddered 
with  cold. 

She  now  heard  a  loud  noise  above  her  head.  A 
ilock  of  wild  mountain  goats,  accustomed  to  come  at 
this  hour  to  quench  their  thirst  at  the  spring,  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  but  drew  back  as  they  detected  the 


HOMO    SUM.  15 

presence  of  a  human  being.  Only  the  leader  of  the 
herd  remained  standing  on  the  brink  of  the  ravine,  and 
she  knew  that  he  was  only  awaiting  her  departure  to 
lead  the  others  down  to  drink.  Following  a  kindly 
impulse,  she  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  to  make  way 
for  the  animals,  when  she  suddenly  recollected  Hermas's 
threat  to  drive  her  from  the  well,  and  she  angrily  picked 
up  a  stone  and  flung  it  at  the  buck,  which  started  and 
hastily  fled.  The  whole  herd  followed  him.  Miriam 
listened  to  them  as  they  scampered  away,  and  then, 
with  her  head  sunk,  she  led  her  flock  home,  feeling  her 
way  in  the  darkness  with  her  bare  feet. 


CHAPTER  II. 

High  above  the  ravine  where  the  spring  was  lay  a 
level  plateau  of  moderate  extent,  and  behind  it  rose  a 
fissured  cliff  of  bare,  red-brown  porphyry.  A  vein  of 
diorite  of  iron-hardness  lay  at  its  foot  like  a  green  rib- 
bon, and  below  this  there  opened  a  small  round  cavern, 
hollowed  and  arched  by  the  cunning  hand  of  nature. 
In  former  times  wild  beasts,  panthers  or  wolves,  had 
made  it  their  home ;  it  now  served  as  a  dwelling  for 
young  Hernias  and  his  father. 

Many  similar  caves  were  to  be  found  in  the  holy 
mountain,  and  other  anchorites  had  taken  possession 
of  the  larger  ones  among  them. 

That  of  Stephanus  was  exceptionally  high  and 
deep,  and  yet  the  space  was  but  small  which  di- 
vided the  two  beds  of  dried  mountain  herbs  where, 
on  one,  slept  the  father,  and  on  the  other,  the  son. 


l6  HOMO    SUM. 

It  was  long  past  midnight,  but  neither  the  younger 
nor  the  elder  cave-dweller  seemed  to  be  sleeping. 
Hermas  groaned  aloud  and  threw  himself  vehemently 
from  one  side  to  the  other  without  any  consideration 
for  the  old  man  who,  tormented  with  pain  and  weak- 
ness, sorely  needed  sleep.  Stephanus  meanwhile  denied 
himself  the  relief  of  turning  over  or  of  sighing,  when  he 
thought  he  perceived  that  his  more  vigorous  son  had 
found  rest. 

"  What  could  have  robbed  him  of  his  rest,  the  boy 
who  usually  slept  so  soundly,  and  was  so  hard  to 
waken  ?  " 

"  Whence  comes  it,"  thought  Stephanus,  "  that  the 
young  and  strong  sleep  so  soundly  and  so  much,  and 
the  old,  who  need  rest,  and  even  the  sick,  sleep  so 
lightly  and  so  little.  Is  it  that  wakefulness  may  pro- 
long the  little  term  of  life,  of  which  they  dread  the  end  ? 
How  is  it  that  man  clings  so  fondly  to  this  miserable 
existence,  and  would  fain  slink  away,  and  hide  himself 
when  the  angel  calls  and  the  golden  gates  open  before 
him !  We  are  like  Saul,  the  Hebrew,  who  hid  himself 
when  they  came  to  him  with  the  crown  !  My  wound 
burns  painfully ;  if  only  I  had  a  drink  of  water.  If  the 
poor  child  were  not  so  sound  asleep  I  might  ask  him 
for  the  jar." 

Stephanus  listened  to  his  son  and  would  not  wake 
him,  when  he  heard  his  heavy  and  regular  breathing. 
He  curled  himself  up  shivering  under  the  sheep-skin 
which  covered  only  half  his  body,  for  the  icy  nightwind 
now  blew  through  the  opening  of  the  cave,  which  by 
day  was  as  hot  as  an  oven. 

Some  long  minutes  wore  away ;    at  last  he  thought 
he  perceived  that.  Hermas  had  raised  himself.     Yes, 


HOMO    SUM.  17 

the  sleeper  must  have  wakened,  for  he  began  to  speak, 
and  to  call  on  the  name  of  God. 

The  old  man  turned  to  his  son  and  began  softly, 
"  Do  you  hear  me,  my  boy  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  sleep,"  answered  the  youth. 

"  Then  give  me  something  to  drink,"  asked  Stc 
anus,  "  my  wound  burns  intolerably." 

Hermas  rose  at  once,  and  reached  the  water -jr. 
the  sufferer. 

"  Thanks,  thanks,  my  child,"  said  the  old  man,  f 
ing  for  the  neck  of  the  jar.     But  he  could  not  find  it, 
and  exclaimed  with  surprise :     "  How  damp  and  cold  it 
is — this  is  clay,  and  our  jar  was  a  gourd." 

"  I  have  broken  it,"  interrupted  Hermas,  "  and 
Paulus  lent  me  his." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Stephanus  anxious  for  drink  ;  he 
gave  the  jar  back  to  his  son,  and  waited  till  he  had 
stretched  himself  again  on  his  couch.  Then  he  asked 
anxiously:  "You  were  out  a  long  time  this  evening, 
the  gourd  is  broken,  and  you  groaned  in  your  sleep. 
Whom  did  you  meet  ?  " 

"A  demon  of  hell,"  answered  Hermas.  "And  now 
the  fiend  pursues  me  into  our  cave,  and  torments  me  in 
a  variety  of  shapes." 

"  Drive  it  out  then  and  pray,"  said  the  old  1 
gravely.     "  Unclean  spirits  flee  at  the  name  of  God.  ' 

"  I  have  called  upon  Him,"  sighed  Hermas,  " 
in  vain ;  I  see  women  with  ruddy  lips  and  flowing 
and  white  marble  figures  with  rounded  limbs  and  fl 
ing  eyes  beckon  to  me  again  and  again." 

"Then  take  the  scourge,"  ordered  the  father,  "  « 
so  win  peace." 

Hermas  once  more  obediently  rose,  and  went  out 


l8  HOMO    SUM. 

into  the  air  with  the  scourge  j  the  narrow  limits  of  the 
cave  did  not  admit  of  his  swinging  it  with  all  the 
strength  of  his  arms. 

Very  soon  Stephanus  heard  the  whistle  of  the 
leathern  thongs  through  the  stillness  of  the  night,  their 
hard  blows  on  the  springy  muscles  of  the  man  and  his 
son's  painful  groaning. 

At  each  blow  the  old  man  shrank  as  if  it  had  fallen 
on  himself.  At  last  he  cried  as  loud  as  he  was  able : 
"  Enough  —  that  is  enough." 

Hermas  came  back  into  the  cave,  his  father  called 
him  to  his  couch,  and  desired  him  to  join  with  him  in 
prayer. 

After  the  'Amen'  he  stroked  the  lad's  abundant 
hair  and  said,  "Since  you  went  to  Alexandria,  you  have 
been  quite  another  being.  I  would  I  had  withstood 
Bishop  Agapitus,  and  forbidden  you  the  journey. 
Soon,  I  know,  my  Saviour  will  call  me  to  himself,  and 
no  one  will  keep  you  here  j  then  the  tempter  will  come 
to  you,  and  all  the  splendors  of  the  great  city,  which 
after  all  only  shine  like  rotton  wood,  like  shining  snakes 
and  poisonous  purple-berries — " 

'•I  do  not  care  for  them,"  interrupted  Hermas,  "the 
noisy  place  bewildered  and  frightened  me.  Never, 
never  will  I  tread  the  spot  again." 

"  So  you  have  always  said,"  replied  Stephanus, 
"  and  yet  the  journey  quite  altered  you.  How  often 
before  that  I  used  to  think  when  I  heard  you  laugh 
that  the  sound  must  surely  please  our  Father  in  Heaven. 
And  now  ?  You  used  to  be  like  a  singing  bird,  and 
now  you  go  about  silent,  you  look  sour  and  morose, 
and  evil  thoughts  trouble  your  sleep." 

"  That  is  my  loss,"  answered  Hermas.     "  Pray  let 


HOMO    SUM.  19 

go  of  my  hand ;  the  night  will  soon  be  past,  and  you 
have  the  whole  live-long  day  to  lecture  me  in." 

Stephanus  sighed,  and  Hermas  returned  to  his 
couch. 

Sleep  avoided  them  both,  and  each  knew  that  the 
other  was  awake,  and  would  willingly  have  spoken  to 
him,  but  dissatisfaction  and  defiance  closed  the  son's 
lips,  and  the  father  was  silent  because  he  could  not 
find  exactly  the  heart-  searching  words  that  he  was 
seeking. 

At  last  it  was  morning,  a  twilight  glimmer  struck 
through  the  opening  of  the  cave,  and  it  grew  lighter 
and  lighter  in  the  gloomy  vault;  the  boy  awoke  and 
rose  yawning.  When  he  saw  his  father  lying  with  his 
•eyes  open,  he  asked  indifferently,  "Shall  I  stay  here  or 
go  to  morning  worship?  " 

"Let  us  pray  here  together,"  begged  the  father. 
"Who  knows  how  long  it  may  yet  be  granted  to  us  to 
do  so  ?  1  am  not  far  from  the  day  that  no  evening 
ever  closes.  Kneel  down  here,  and  let  me  kiss  the 
image  of  the  Crucified." 

Hermas  did  as  his  father  desired  him,  and  as  they 
were  ending  their  song  of  praise,  a  third  voice  joined 
in  the  'Amen.' 

"  Paulus !"  cried  the  old  man.  "  The  Lord  be 
praised!  pray  look  to  my  wound  then.  The  arrow 
head  seeks  to  work  some  way  out,  and  it  burns  fear- 
fully." 

The  new  comer,  an  anchorite,  who  for  all  clothing 
wore  a  shirt-shaped  coat  of  brown  undressed  linen,  and 
a  sheep-skin,  examined  the  wound  carefully,  and  laid 
some  herbs  on  it,  murmuring  meanwhile  some  pious 
texts. 


20  HOMO    SUM. 

"  That  is  much  easier,"  sighed  the  old  man.  "  The 
Lord  has  mercy  on  me  for  your  goodness'  sake." 

"  My  goodness  ?  I  am  a  vessel  of  wrath,"  replied 
Paulus,  with  a  deep,  rich,  sonorous  voice,  and  his  pe- 
culiarly kind  blue  eyes  were  raised  to  heaven  as  if  to 
attest  how  greatly  men  were  deceived  in  him.  Then  he 
pushed  the  bushy  grizzled  hair,  which  hung  in  disorder 
over  his  neck  and  face,  out  of  his  eyes,  and  said  cheer- 
fully :  "  No  man  is  more  than  man,  and  many  men  are 
less.  In  the  ark  there  were  many  beasts,  but  only  one 
Noah." 

"You  are  the  Noah  of  our  little  ark,"  replied  Steph- 
anus. 

"  Then  this  great  lout  here  is  the  elephant,"  laughed 
Paulus. 

"  You  are  no  smaller  than  he,"  replied  Stephanus. 

"  It  is  a  pity  this  stone  roof  is  so  low,  else  we  might 
have  measured  ourselves,"  said  Paulus.  "Aye !  if  Her- 
nias and  I  were  as  pious  and  pure  as  we  are  tall  and 
strong,  we  should  both  have  the  key  of  paradise  in  our 
pockets.  You  were  scourging  yourself  this  night,  boy ; 
I  heard  the  blows.  It  is  well ;  if  the  sinful  flesh  revolts, 
thus  we  may  subdue  it." 

"  He  groaned  heavily  and  could  not  sleep,"  said 
Stephanus. 

"Aye,  did  he  indeed !  "  cried  Paulus  to  the  youth, 
and  held  his  powerful  arms  out  towards  him  with 
clenched  fists ;  but  the  threatening  voice  was  loud  rather 
than  terrible,  and  wild  as  the  exceptionally  big  man 
looked  in  his  sheepskin,  there  was  such  irresistible  kind- 
liness in  his  gaze  and  in  his  voice,  that  no  one  could 
have  believed  that  his  wrath  was  in  earnest. 

"  Fiends  of  hell  had  met  him,"  said  Stephanus  in 


HOMO    SUM.  21 

excuse  for  his  son,  "and  I  should  not  have  closed  an 
eye  even  without  his  groaning;  it  is  the  fifth  night." 

"  But  in  the  sixth,"  said  Paulus,  "  sleep  is  absolutely- 
necessary.  Put  on  your  sheep-skin,  Hermas  ;  you  must 
go  down  to  the  oasis  to  the  Senator  Petrus,  and  fetch  a 
good  sleeping-draught  for  our  sick  man  from  him  or 
from  Dame  Dorothea,  the  deaconess.  Just  look !  the 
youngster  has  really  thought  of  his  father's  breakfast — 
one's  own  stomach  is  a  good  reminder.  Only  put  the 
bread  and  the  water  down  here  by  the  couch ;  while  you 
are  gone  I  will  fetch  some  fresh — now,  come  with  me." 

"  Wait  a  minute,  wait,"  cried  Stephanus.  "  Bring  a 
new  jar  with  you  from  the  town,  my  son.  You  lent  us 
yours  yesterday,  Paulus,  and  I  must — " 

"  I  should  soon  have  forgotten  it,"  interrupted  the 
other.  "  I  have  to  thank  the  careless  fellow,  for  I  have 
now  for  the  first  time  discovered  the  right  way  to  drink, 
as  long  as  one  is  well  and  able.  I  would  not  have  the 
jar  back  for  a  measure  of  gold  ;  water  has  no  relish  un- 
less you  drink  it  out  of  the  hollow  of  your  hand !  The 
shard  is  yours.  I  should  be  warring  against  my  own 
welfare,  if  I  required  it  back.  God  be  praised !  the  craft- 
iest thief  can  now  rob  me  of  nothing  save  my  sheep- 
skin." 

Stephanus  would  have  thanked  him,  but  he  took 
Hermas  by  the  hand,  and  led  him  out  into  the  open  air. 

For  some  time  the  two  men  walked  in  silence  over 
the  clefts  and  boulders  up  the  mountain  side.  When 
they  had  reached  a  plateau,  which  lay  on  the  road  that 
led  from  the  sea  over  the  mountain  into  the  oasis,  he 
turned  to  the  youth,  and  said, 

"  If  we  always  considered  all  the  results  of  our 
actions  there  would  be  no  sins  committed." 


22  HOMO    SUM. 

Hermas  looked  at  him  enquiringly,  and  Paulus  went 
on, 

"  If  it  had  occurred  to  you  to  think  how  sorely  your 
poor  father  needed  sleep,  you  would  have  lain  still  this 
night." 

"  I  could  not,"  said  the  youth  sullenly.  "And  you 
know  very  well  that  I  scourged  myself  hard  enough." 

"  That  was  quite  right,  for  you  deserved  a  flogging 
for  a  misconducted  boy." 

Hermas  looked  defiantly  at  his  reproving  friend,  the 
flaming  color  mounted  to  his  cheek :  for  he  remember- 
ed the  shepherdess's  words  that  he  might  go  and  com- 
plain to  his  nurse,  and  he  cried  out  angrily  : 

"  I  will  not  let  any  one  speak  to  me  so ;  I  am  no 
longer  a  child." 

"  Net  even  your  father's  ?"  asked  Paulus,  and  he 
looked  at  the  boy  with  such  an  astonished  and  enquir- 
ing air,  that  Hennas  turned  away  his  eyes  in  confusion. 

"  It  is  not  right  at  any  rate  to  trouble  the  last  rem- 
nant of  life  of  that  very  man  who  longs  to  live  for  your 
sake  only." 

"  I  should  have  been  very  willing  to  lie  still,  for  I 
love  my  father  as  well  as  any  one  else." 

"  You  do  not  beat  him,"  replied  Paulus,  "  you  carry 
him  bread  and  water,  and  do  not  drink  up  the  wine 
yourself,  which  the  Bishop  sends  him  home  from  the 
Lord's  supper;  that  is  something  certainly,  but  not 
enough  by  a  long  way." 

"  I  am  no  saint !" 

"  Nor  I  neither,"  exclaimed  Paulus,  "  I  am  full  of 
sin  and  weakness.  But  I  know  what  the  love  is  which 
was  taught  us  by  the  Saviour,  and  that  you  too  may 
know.     He  suffered  on  the  cross  for  you,  and  for  me, 


HOMO    SUM.  .  23 

and  for  all  the  poor  and  vile.  Love  is  at  once  the  eas- 
iest and  the  most  difficult  of  attainments.  It  requires 
sacrifice.  And  you?  How  long  is  it  now  since  you 
last  showed  your  father  a  cheerful  countenance  ?" 

"  I  cannot  be  a  hypocrite." 

"  Nor  need  you,  but  you  must  love.  Certainly  it  is 
not  by  what  his  hand  does  but  by  what  his  heart  cheer- 
fully offers,  and  by  what  he  forces  himself  to  give  up 
that  a  man  proves  his  love." 

"  And  is  it  no  sacrifice  that  I  waste  all  my  youth 
here  ?"  asked  the  boy. 

Paulus  stepped  back  from  him  a  little  way,  shook 
his  matted  head,  and  said,  "  Is  that  it  ?  You  are  think- 
ing of  Alexandria !  Ay !  no  doubt  life  runs  away  much 
quicker  there  than  on  our  solitary  mountain.  You  do 
not  fancy  the  tawny  shepherd  girl,  but  perhaps  some 
pretty  pink  and  white  Greek  maiden  down  there  has 
looked  into  your  eyes  ?" 

"  Let  me  alone  about  the  women,"  answered  Hernias, 
with  genuine  annoyance.  "  There  are  other  things  to 
look  at  there." 

The  youth's  eyes  sparkled  as  he  spoke,  and  Paulus 
asked,  not  without  interest,  "  Indeed  ?" 

"You  know  Alexandria  better  than  I,"  answered 
Hermas  evasively.  "  You  were  born  there,  and  they 
say  you  had  been  a  rich  young  man." 

"  Do  they  say  so  ?"  said  Paulus.  "  Perhaps  they 
are  right ;  but  you  must  know  that  I  am  glad  that  noth- 
ing any  longer  belongs  to  me  of  all  the  vanities  that  I 
possessed,  and  I  thank  my  Saviour  that  I  can  now  turn 
my  back  on  the  turmoil  of  men.  What  was  it  that 
seemed  to  you  so  particularly  tempting  in  all  that 
whirl  ?" 


24  .  HOMO    SUM. 

Hermas  hesitated.  He  feared  to  speak,  and  yet 
something  urged  and  drove  him  to  say  out  all  that  was 
stirring  his  soul.  If  any  one  of  all  those  grave  men 
who  despised  the  world  and  among  whom  he  had  grown 
up,  could  ever  understand  him,  he  knew  well  that  it 
would  be  Paulus ;  Paulus  whose  rough  beard  he  had 
pulled  when  he  was  little,  on  whose  shoulders  he  had 
often  sat,  and  who  had  proved  to  him  a  thousand  times 
how  truly  he  loved  him.  It  is  true  the  Alexandrian 
was  the  severest  of  them  all,  but  he  was  harsh  only  to 
himself.  Hermas  must  once  for  all  unburden  his  heart, 
and  with  sudden  decision  he  asked  the  anchorite : 

"  Did  you  often  visit  the  baths  ?" 

"  Often  ?  I  only  wonder  that  I  did  not  melt  away 
and  fall  to  pieces  in  the  warm  water  like  a  wheaten  loaf." 

"  Why  do  you  laugh  at  that  which  makes  men  beau- 
tiful ?"  cried  Hermas  hastily.  "  Why  may  Christians 
even  visit  the  baths  in  Alexandria,  while  we  up  here,  you 
and  my  father  and  all  anchorites,  only  use  water  to 
quench  our  thirst  ?  You  compel  me  to  live  like  one  of 
you,  and  I  do  not  like  being  a  dirty  beast." 

"  None  can  see  us  but  the  Most  High,"  answered 
Paulus,  "  and  for  him  we  cleanse  and  beautify  our  souls." 

"  But  the  Lord  gave  us  our  body  too,"  interrupted 
Hermas.  "  It  is  written  that  man  is  the  image  of  God. 
And  we !  I  appeared  to  myself  as  repulsive  as  a  hideous 
ape  when  at  the  great  baths  by  the  Gate  of  the  Sun  I 
saw  the  youths  and  men  with  beautifully  arranged  and 
scented  hair  and  smooth  limbs  that  shone  with  clean- 
liness and  purification.  And  as  they  went  past,  and  I 
looked  at  my  mangy  sheepfell,  and  thought  of  my  wild 
mane  and  my  arms  and  feet,  which  are  no  worse  formed 
or  weaker  than  theirs  were,  I  turned  hot  and  cold,  and 


HOMO    SUM.  25 

I  felt  as  if  some  bitter  drink  were  choking  me.  1  should 
have  liked  to  howl  out  with  shame  and  envy  and  vex- 
ation.    I  will  not  be  like  a  monster !" 

Hermas  ground  his  teeth  as  he  spoke  the  last  words, 
and  Paulus  looked  uneasily  at  him  as  he  went  on  :  "  My 
body  is  God's  as  much  as  my  soul  is,  and  what  is  allowed 
to  the  Christians  in  the  city — " 

"  That  we  nevertheless  may  not  do,"  Paulus  interrupt- 
ed gravely.  "  He  who  has  once  devoted  himself  to 
Heaven  must  detach  himself  wholly  from  the  charm  of 
life,  and  break  one  tie  after  another  that  binds  him  to 
the  dust.  I  too  once  upon  a  time  have  anointed  this 
body,  and  smoothed  this  rough  hair,  and  rejoiced  sin- 
cerely over  my  mirror ;  but  I  say  to  you,  Hermas — and, 
by  my  dear  Saviour,  I  say  it  only  because  I  feel  it,  deep 
in  my  heart  I  feel  it — to  pray  is  better  than  to  bathe, 
and  I,  a  poor  wretch,  have  been  favored  with  hours  in 
which  my  spirit  has  struggled  free,  and  has  been  per- 
mitted to  share  as  an  honored  guest  in  the  festal  joys  of 
Heaven !  " 

While  he  spoke,  his  wide  open  eyes  had  turned  to- 
wards Heaven  and  had  acquired  a  wondrous  brightness. 

For  a  short  time  the  two  stood  opposite  each  other 
silent  and  motionless ;  at  last  the  anchorite  pushed  the 
hair  from  off  his  brow,  which  was  now  for  the  first  time 
visible.  It  was  well-formed,  though  somewhat  narrow, 
and  its  clear  fairness  formed  a  sharp  contrast  to  his 
sunburnt  face. 

"  Boy,"  he  said  with  a  deep  breath,  "  you  know  not 
what  joys  you  would  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  worthless 
things.  Long  ere  the  Lord  calls  the  pious  man  to 
Heaven,  the  pious  has  brought  Heaven  down  to  earth 
in  himself." 


26  HOMO    SUM. 

Hermas  well  understood  what  the  anchorite  meant, 
for  his  father  often  for  hours  at  a  time  gazed  up  into 
Heaven  in  prayer,  neither  seeing  nor  hearing  what  was 
going  on  around  him,  and  was  wont  to  relate  to  his  son, 
when  he  awoke  from  his  ecstatic  vision,  that  he  had  seen 
the  Lord  or  heard  the  angel-choir. 

He  himself  had  never  succeeded  in  bringing  himself 
into  such  a  state,  although  Stephanus  had  often  com- 
pelled him  to  remain  on  his  knees  praying  with  him  for 
many  interminable  hours.  It  often  happened  that  the 
old  man's  feeble  flame  of  life  had  threatened  to  become 
altogether  extinct  after  these  deeply  soul-stirring  exer- 
cises, and  Hermas  would  gladly  have  forbidden  him 
giving  himself  up  to  such  hurtful  emotions,  for  he  loved 
his  father ;  but  they  were  looked  upon  as  special  mani- 
festations of  grace,  and  how  should  a  son  dare  to  express 
his  aversion  to  such  peculiarly  sacred  acts  ?  But  to 
Paulus  and  in  his  present  mood  he  found  courage  to 
speak  out. 

"  I  have  sure  hope  of  Paradise,"  he  said,  "  but  it  will 
be  first  opened  to  us  after  death.  The  Christian  should 
be  patient ;  why  can  you  not  wait  for  Heaven  till  the 
Saviour  calls  you,  instead  of  desiring  to  enjoy  its  pleas- 
ures here  on  earth  ?  This  first  and  that  after !  Why 
should  God  have  bestowed  on  us  the  gifts  of  the  flesh 
if  not  that  we  may  use  them  ?  Beauty  and  strength  are 
not  empty  trifles,  and  none  but  a  fool  gives  noble  gifts 
to  another,  only  in  order  to  throw  them  away." 

Paulus  gazed  in  astonishment  at  the  youth,  who  up 
to  this  moment  had  always  unresistingly  obeyed  his 
father  and  him,  and  he  shook  his  head  as  he  answered, 

"  So  think  the  children  of  this  world  who  stand  far 
from  the  Most  High.     In  the  image  of   God  are  we 


HOMO    SUM.  27 

made  no  doubt,  but  what  child  would  kiss  the  image  of 
his  father,  when  the  father  offers  him  his  own  living 
lips  ?  " 

Paulushad  meant  to  say  'mother'  instead  of  'father/ 
but  he  remembered  in  time  that  Hermas  had  early 
lost  the  happiness  of  caressing  a  mother,  and  he  had 
hastily  amended  the  phrase.  He  was  one  of  those  to 
whom  it  is  so  painful  to  hurt  another,  that  they  never 
touch  a  wounded  soul  unless  to  heal  it,  divining  the  seat 
of  even  the  most  hidden  pain. 

He  was  accustomed  to  speak  but  little,  but  now  he 
went  on  eagerly : 

"  By  so  much  as  God  is  far  above  our  miserable 
selves,  by  so  much  is  the  contemplation  of  Him  worth- 
ier of  the  Christian  than  that  of  his  own  person.  Oh  ! 
who  is  indeed  so  happy  as  to  have  wholly  lost  that  self 
and  to  be  perfectly  absorbed  in  God !  But  it  pursues 
us,  and  when  the  soul  fondly  thinks  itself  already  blend- 
ed in  union  with  the  Most  High  it  cries  out  '  Here  am 
I !'  and  drags  our  nobler  part  down  again  into  the  dust. 
It  is  bad  enough  that  we  must  hinder  the  flight  of  the 
soul,  and  are  forced  to  nourish  and  strengthen  the  perish- 
able part  of  our  being  with  bread  and  water  and  sloth- 
ful sleep  to  the  injury  of  the  immortal  part,  however 
much  we  may  fast  and  watch.  And  shall  we  indulge 
the  flesh,  to  the  detriment  of  the  spirit,  by  granting  it 
^ny  of  its  demands  that  can  easily  be  denied  ?  Only 
he  who  despises  and  sacrifices  his  wretched  self  can, 
when  he  has  lost  his  baser  self,  by  the  Redeemer's  grace, 
find  himself  again  in  God." 

Hermas  had  listened  patiently  to  the  anchorite,  but 
he  now  shook  his  head,  and  said :  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand either  you  or  my  father.     So  long  as  I  walk  ot\ 


28  HOMO    SUM. 

this  earth,  I  am  I  and  no  other.  After  death,  no 
doubt,  but  not  till  then,  will  a  new  and  eternal  life 
begin." 

"  Not  so,"  cried  Paulus  hastily,  interrupting  him. 
""  That  other  and  higher  life  of  which  you  speak,  does 
not  begin  only  after  death  for  him  who  while  still  living 
does  not  cease  from  dying,  from  mortifying  the  flesh, 
and  from  subduing  its  lusts,  from  casting  from  him  the 
world  and  his  baser  self,  and  from  seeking  the  Lord.  It 
has  been  vouchsafed  to  many  even  in  the  midst  of  life 
to  be  born  again  to  a  higher  existence.  Look  at  me, 
the  basest  of  the  base.  I  am  not  two  but  one,  and  yet 
am  I  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  as  certainly  another  man 
than  I  was  before  grace  found  me,  as  this  young  shoot, 
which  has  grown  from  the  roots  of  an  overthrown  palm- 
tree  is  another  tree  than  the  rotten  trunk.  I  was  a 
heathen  and  enjoyed  every  pleasure  of  the  earth  to  the 
utmost ;  then  I  became  a  Christian ;  the  grace  of  the 
Lord  fell  upon  me,  and  I  was  born  again,  and  became 
a  child  again;  but  this  time — the  Redeemer  be  praised ! 
— the  child  of  the  Lord.  In  the  midst  of  life  I  died,  I 
rose  again,  I  found  the  joys  of  Heaven.  I  had  been 
Menander,  and  like  unto  Saul,  I  became  Paulus.  All 
that  Menander  loved — baths,  feasts,  theatres,  horses  and 
chariots,  games  in  the  arena,  anointed  limbs,  roses  and 
garlands,  purple-garments,  wine  and  the  love  of  women 
— lie  behind  me  like  some  foul  bog  out  of  which  a  trav- 
eller has  struggled  with  difficulty.  Not  a  vein  of  the  old 
man  survives  in  the  new,  and  a  new  life  has  begun  for 
me,  mid-way  to  the  grave ;  nor  for  me  only,  but  for  all 
pious  men.  For  you  too  the  hour  will  sound,  in  which 
you  will  die  to—" 

"  If  only  I,  like  you,  had  been  a  Menander,"  cried 


HOMO    SUM.  29 

Hermas,  sharply  interrupting  the  speaker :  "  How  is  it 
possible  to  cast  away  that  which  I  never  possessed  ?|  In 
order  to  die  one  first  must  live.  This  wretched  life 
seems  to  me  contemptible,  and  I  am  weary  of  running 
after  you  like  a  calf  after  a  cow.  I  am  free-born,  and 
of  noble  race,  my  father  himself  has  told  me  so,  and  1 
am  certainly  no  feebler  in  body  than  the  citizens'  sons 
m  the  town  with  whom  I  went  from  the  baths  to  the 
wrestling-school." 

"  Did  you  go  to  the  Palaestra  ?"  asked  Paulus  in 
surprise. 

"To  the  wrestling-school  of  Timagetus,"  cried  Her- 
mas, coloring.  "  From  outside  the  gate  I  watched  the 
games  of  the  youths  as  they  wrestled,  and  threw  heavy 
disks  at  a  mark.  My  eyes  almost  sprang  out  of  my 
head  at  the  sight,  and  I  could  have  cried  out  aloud 
with  envy  and  vexation,  at  having  to  stand  there  in  my 
ragged  sheep-skin  excluded  from  all  competition.  If 
Pachomius  had  not  just  then  come  up,  by  the  Lord  I 
must  have  sprung  into  the  arena,  and  have  challenged 
the  strongest  of  them  all  to  wrestle  with  me,  and  I  could 
have  thrown  the  disk  much  farther  than  the  scented 
puppy  who  won  the  victory  and  was  crowned." 

"  You  may  thank,  Pachomius,"  said  Paulus  laugh- 
ing, "  for  having  hindered  you,  for  you  would  have 
earned  nothing  in  the  arena  but  mockery  and  disgrace. 
You  are  strong  enough,  certainly,  but  the  art  of  the  dis- 
cobolus must  be  learned  like  any  other.  Hercules  him- 
self would  be  beaten  at  that  game  without  practice,  and 
if  he  did  not  know  the  right  way  to  handle  the  disk." 

"  It  would  not  have  been  the  first  time  I  had  thrown 
one,"  cried  the  boy.  "  See,  what  I  can  do !"  With 
these  words  he  stooped  and  raised  one  of  the  flat  stones, 


.30  HOMO    SUM. 

which  lay  piled  up  to  secure  the  pathway ;  extending  his 
arm  with  all  his  strength,  he  flung  the  granite  disk  over 
the  precipice  away  into  the  abyss. 

"There,  you  see,"  cried  Paulus,  who  had  watched 
the  throw  carefully  and  not  without  some  anxious  ex- 
citement. "  However  strong  your  arm  may  be,  any 
novice  could  throw  farther  than  you  if  only  he  knew 
the  art  of  holding  the  discus.  It  is  not  so — not  so ;  it 
must  cut  through  the  air  like  a  knife  with  its  sharp  edge. 
Look  how  you  hold  your  hand,  you  throw  like  a  woman ! 
The  wrist  straight,  and  now  your  left  foot  behind,  and 
your  knee  bent !  see,  how  clumsy  you  are !  Here,  give 
me  the  stone.  You  take  the  discus  so,  then  you  bend 
your  body,  and  press  down  your  knees  like  the  arc  of  a 
bow,  so  that  every  sinew  in  your  body  helps  to  speed 
the  shot  when  you  let  go.  Aye — that  is  better,  but  it 
is  not  quite  right  yet.  First  heave  the  discus  with  your 
arm  stretched  out,  then  fix  your  eye  on  the  mark;  now 
swing  it  out  high  behind  you — stop !  once  more !  your 
arm  must  be  more  strongly  strained  before  you  throw. 
That  might  pass,  but  you  ought  to  be  able  to  hit  the 
palm-tree  yonder.  Give  me  your  discus,  and  that  stone. 
There;  the  unequal  corners  hinder  its  flight — now  pay 
attention !"  Paulus  spoke  with  growing  eagerness,  and 
now  he  grasped  the  flat  stone,  as  he  might  have  done 
many  years  since  when  no  youth  in  Alexandria  had  been 
his  match  in  throwing  the  discus. 

He  bent  his  knees,  stretched  out  his  body,  gave  play 
to  his  wrist,  extended  his  arm  to  the  utmost  and  hurled 
the  stone  into  space,  while  the  clenched  toes  of  his  right 
foot  deeply  dinted  the  soil. 

But  it  fell  to  the  ground  before  reaching  the  palm, 
which  Paulus  had  indicated  as  the  mark. 


HOMO    SUM.  31 

"  Wait !  "  cried  Hermas.  "  Let  me  try  now  to  hit 
the  tree." 

His  stone  whistled  through  the  air,  but  it  did  not 
even  reach  the  mound,  into  which  the  palm-tree  had 
struck  root. 

Paulus  shook  his  head  disapprovingly,  and  in  .his 
turn  seized  a  flat  stone ;  and  now  an  eager  contest  began. 
At  every  throw  Hermas'  stone  flew  farther,  for  he  copied 
his  teacher's  action  and  grasp  with  increasing  skill, 
while  the  older  man's  arm  began  to  tire.  At  last  Her- 
mas for  the  second  time  hit  the  palm-tree,  while  Paulus 
had  failed  to  reach  even  the  mound  with  his  last  fling. 

The  pleasure  of  the  contest  took  stronger  possession 
of  the  anchorite ;  he  flung  his  raiment  from  him,  and 
seizing  another  stone  he  cried  out — as  though  he  were 
standing  once  more  in  the  wrestling  school  among  his 
old  companions,  all  shining  with  their  anointment. 

"By  the  silver-bowed  Apollo,  and  the  arrow-speeding 
Artemis,  I  will  hit  the  palm-tree." 

The  missile  sang  through  the  air,  his  body  sprang 
back,  and  he  stretched  out  his  left  arm  to  save  his  totter- 
ing balance ;  there  was  a  crash,  the  tree  quivered  under 
the  blow,  and  Hermas  shouted  joyfully  :  "  Wonderful ! 
wonderful !  that  was  indeed  a  throw.  The  old  Menan- 
der  is  not  dead !  Farewell — to-morrow  we  will  try 
again." 

With  these  words  Hermas  quitted  the  anchorite, 
and  hastened  with  wide  leaps  down  the  hill  in  the  oasis. 

Paulus  started  at  the  words  like  a  sleep-walker  who 
is  suddenly  wakened  by  hearing  his  name  called.  He 
looked  about  him  in  bewilderment,  as  if  he  had  to  find 
his  way  in  some  strange  world.  Drops  of  sweat  stood 
on  his  brow,  and  with  sudden  shame   he  snatched  up 


2,2  HOMO    SUM. 

his  garments  that  were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  cov- 
ered his  naked  limbs. 

For  some  time  he  stood  gazing  after  Hermas,  then 
he  clasped  his  brow  in  deep  anguish  and  large  tears  ran 
down  upon  his  beard. 

V  What  have  I  said?"  he  muttered  to  himself; 
"  That  every  vein  of  the  old  man  in  me  was  extirpated  ? 
Fool !  vain  madman  that  I  am.  They  named  me  Paulus, 
and  I  am  in  truth  Saul,  aye,  and  worse  than  Saul !" 

With  these  words  he  threw  himself  on  his  kneesr 
pressing  his  forehead  against  the  hard  rock,  and  began 
to  pray.  He  felt  as  if  he  had  been  flung  from  a  height 
on  to  spears  and  lances,  as  if  his  heart  and  soul  were 
bleeding,  and  while  he  remained  there,  dissolved  in  grief 
and  prayer,  accusing  and  condemning  himself,  he  felt 
not  the  burning  of  the  sun  as  it  mounted  in  the  sky, 
heeded  not  the  flight  of  time,  nor  heard  the  approach 
of  a  party  of  pilgrims,  who,  under  the  guidance  of  bishop 
Agapitus,  were  visiting  the  Holy  Places.  The  palmers 
saw  him  at  prayer,  heard  his  sobs,  and,  marvelling 
at  his  piety,  at  a  sign  from  their  pastor  they  knelt  down 
behind  him. 

When  Paulus  at  last  arose,  he  perceived  with  sur- 
prise and  alarm  the  witnesses  of  his  devotions,  and 
approached  Agapitus  to  kiss  his  robe.  But  the  bishop 
said:  "  Not  so;  he  that  is  most  pious  is  the  greatest 
among  us.  My  friends,  let  us  bow  down  before  this 
saintly  man !" 

The  pilgrims  obeyed  his  command.  Paulus  hid  his 
face  in  his  hands  and  sobbed  out :  "  Wretch,  wretch 
that  I  am!" 

And  the  pilgrims  lauded  his  humility,  and  followed 
their  leader  who  left  the  spot. 


HOMO    SUM.  ;  33 


CHAPTER    III. 


Hermas  had  hastened  onwards  without  delay.  He 
had  already  reached  the  last  bend  of  the  path  he  had 
followed  down  the  ravine,  and  he  saw  at  his  feet  the 
long  narrow  valley  and  the  gleaming  waters  of  the 
stream,  which  here  fertilized  the  soil  of  the  desert.  He 
looked  down  on  lofty  palms  and  tamarisk  shrubs  in- 
numerable, among  which  rose  the  houses  of  the  inhab- 
itants, surrounded  by  their  little  gardens  and  small 
carefully-irrigated  fields;  already  he  could  hear  the 
crowing  of  a  cock  and  the  hospitable  barking  of  a  dog, 
sounds  which  came  to  him  like  a  welcome  from  the 
midst  of  that  life  for  which  he  yearned,  accustomed  as 
he  was  to  be  surrounded  day  and  night  by  the  deep 
and  lonely  stillness  of  the  rocky  heights. 

He  stayed  his  steps,  and  his  eyes  followed  the  thin 
columns  of  smoke,  which  floated  tremulously  up  in  the 
clear  light  of  the  ever  mounting  sun  from  the  numerous 
hearths  that  lay  below  him. 

"They  are  cooking  breakfast  now,"  thought  he, 
"the  wives  for  their  husbands,  the  mothers  for  their 
children,  and  there,  where  that  dark  smoke  rises,  very 
likely  a  splendid  feast  is  being  prepared  for  guests ;  but 
I  am  nowhere  at  home,  and  no  one  will  invite  me  in." 

The  contest  with  Paulus  had  excited  and  cheered 
him,  but  the  sight  of  the  city  filled  his  young  heart  with 
renewed  bitterness,  and  his  lips  trembled  as  he  looked 
down  on  his  sheepskin  and  his  unwashed  limbs.  With 
hasty  resolve  he  turned  his  back  on  the  oasis  and  hur- 


34  HOMO    SUM. 

ried  up  the  mountain.  By  the  side  of  the  brooklet  that 
he  knew  of  he  threw  off  his  coarse  garment,  let  the  cool 
water  flow  over  his  body,  washed  himself  carefully  and 
with  much  enjoyment,  stroked  down  his  thick  hair  with 
his  fingers,  and  then  hurried  down  again  into  the 
valley. 

The  gorge  through  which  he  had  descended  de- 
bouched by  a  hillock  that  rose  from  the  valley-plain ; 
a  small  newly-built  church  leaned  against  its  eastern 
declivity,  and  it  was  fortified  on  all  sides  by  walls  and 
dikes,  behind  which  the  citizens  found  shelter  when  they 
were  threatened  by  the  Saracen  robbers  of  the  oasis. 
This  hill  passed  for  a  particularly  sacred  spot.  Moses 
was  supposed  to  have  prayed  on  its  summit  during  the 
battle  with  the  Amalekites  while  his  arms  were  held  up 
by  Aaron  and  Hur. 

But  there  were  other  notable  spots  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  oasis.  There  farther  to  the  north  was  the 
rock  whence  Moses  had  struck  the  water ;  there  higher 
up,  and  more  to  the  south-east,  was  the  hill,  where  the 
Lord  had  spoken  to  the  law-giver  face  to  face,  and 
where  he  had  seen  the  burning  bush ;  there  again  was 
the  spring  where  he  had  met  the  daughters  of  Jethro, 
Zippora  and  Ledja,  so  called  in  the  legend.  Pious 
pilgrims  came  to  these  holy  places  in  great  numbers, 
and  among  them  many  natives  of  the  peninsula,  partic- 
ularly Nabateans,  who  had  previously  visited  the  holy 
mountain  in  order  to  sacrifice  on  its  summit  to  their 
gods,  the  sun,  moon,  and  planets.  At  the  outlet,  to- 
wards the  north,  stood  a  castle,  which  ever  since  the 
Syrian  Prefect,  Cornelius  Palma,  had  subdued  Arabia 
Petraea  in  the  time  of  Trajan,  had  been  held  by  a 
Roman  garrison  for  the  protection  of  the  blooming  city 


HOMO    SUM.  35 

of  the  desert  against  the  incursions  of  the  marauding 
Saracens  and  Blemmyes. 

But  the  citizens  of  Pharan  themselves  had  taken 
measures  for  the  security  of  their  property.  On  the 
topmost  cliffs  of  the  jagged  crown  of  the  giant  mountain 
— the  most  favorable  spots  for  a  look-out  far  and  wide 
— they  placed  sentinels,  who  day  and  night  scanned  the 
distance,  so  as  to  give  a  warning-signal  in  case  of  ap- 
proaching danger.  Each  house  resembled  a  citadel, 
for  it  was  built  of  strong  masonry,  and  the  younger 
men  were  all  well  exercised  bowmen.  The  more  dis- 
tinguished families  dwelt  near  the  church-hill,  and  there 
too  stood  the  houses  of  the  Bishop  Agapitus,  and  of 
the  city  councillors  of  Pharan. 

Among  these  the  Senator  Petrus  enjoyed  the  great- 
est respect,  partly  by  reason  of  his  solid  abilities,  and 
of  his  possessions  in  quarries,  garden-ground,  date- 
palms,  and  cattle;  partly  in  consequence  of  the  rare 
qualities  of  his  wife,  the  deaconess  Dorothea,  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  long-deceased  and  venerable  Bishop 
Chaeremon,  who  had  fled  hither  with  his  wife  during  the 
persecution  of  the  Christians  under  Decius,  and  who 
had  converted  many  of  the  Pharanites  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  Redeemer. 

The  house  of  Petrus  was  of  strong  and  well-joined 
stone,  and  the  palm  garden  adjoining  was  carefully 
tended.  Twenty  slaves,  many  camels,  and  even  two 
horses  belonged  to  him,  and  the  centurion  in  com- 
mand of  the  Imperial  garrison,  the  Gaul  Phoebicius, 
and  his  wife  Sirona,  lived  as  lodgers  under  his  roof; 
not  quite  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  councillor,  for  the 
centurion  was  no  Christian,  but  a  worshipper  of  Mithras, 
in  whose  mysteries  the  wild  Gaul  had  risen  to  the  grade 

3  * 


$6  HOMO    SUM. 

of  a  '  Lion,'  whence  his  people,  and  with  them  the  Phar- 
anites  in  general,  were  wont  to  speak  of  him  as  "  the 
Lion." 

His  predecessor  had  been  an  officer  of  much  lower 
rank  but  a  believing  Christian,  whom  Petrus  had  him- 
self requested  to  live  in  his  house,  and  when,  about  a 
year  since,  the  Lion  Phcebicius  had  taken  the  place  of 
the  pious  Pankratius,  the  senator  could  not  refuse  him 
the  quarters,  which  had  become  a  right. 

Hermas  went  shyly  and  timidly  towards  the  court  of 
Petrus'  house,  and  his  embarrassment  increased  when  he 
found  himself  in  the  hall  of  the  stately  stone-house, 
which  he  had  entered  without  let  or  hindrance,  and  did 
not  know  which  way  to  turn.  There  was  no  one  there 
to  direct  him,  and  he  dared  not  go  up  the  stairs  which 
led  to  the  upper  story,  although  it  seemed  that  Petrus 
must  be  there.  Yes,  there  was  no  doubt,  for  he  heard 
talking  overhead  and  clearly  distinguished  the  senator's 
deep  voice.  Hermas  advanced,  and  set  his  foot  on  the 
first  step  of  the  stairs ;  but  he  had  scarcely  begun  to  go 
up  with  some  decision,  and  feeling  ashamed  of  his 
bashfulness,  when  he  heard  a  door  fly  open  just  above 
him,  and  from  it  there  poured  a  flood  of  fresh  laughing 
children's  voices,  like  a  pent  up  stream  when  the  miller 
opens  the  sluice  gate. 

He  glanced  upwards  in  surprise,  but  there  was  no 
time  for  consideration,  for  the  shouting  troop  of  released 
little  ones  had  already  reached  the  stairs.  In  front  of 
all  hastened  a  beautiful  young  woman  with  golden  hair; 
she  was  laughing  gaily,  and  held  a  gaudily-dressed  doll 
high  above  her  head.  She  came  backwards  towards 
the  steps,  turning  her  fair  face  beaming  with  fun  and 
delight  towards  the  children,  who,  full  of  their  longing, 


HOMO    SUM.  37 

half  demanding,  half  begging,  half  laughing,  half  crying, 
shouted  in  confusion,  "  Let  us  be,  Sirona,"  "  Do  not 
take  it  away  again,  Sirona,"  "  Do  stay  here,  Sirona," 
again  and  again,  "  Sirona — Sirona." 

A  lovely  six  year  old  maiden  stretched  up  as  far  as 
she  could  to  reach  the  round  white  arm  that  held  the 
play-thing ;  with  her  left  hand,  which  was  free,  she  gaily 
pushed  away  three  smaller  children,  who  tried  to  cling 
to  her  knees  and  exclaimed,  still  stepping  backwards, 
ft  No,  no ;  you  shall  not  have  it  till  it  has  a  new  gown ; 
it  shall  be  as  long  and  as  gay  as  the  Emperors's  robe. 
Let  me  go,  Caecilia,  or  you  will  fall  down  as  naughty 
Nikon  did  the  other  day." 

By  this  time  she  had  reached  the  steps ;  she  turned 
suddenly,  and  with  outstretched  arms  she  stopped  the 
way  of  the  narrow  stair  on  which  Hernias  was  stand- 
ding,  gazing  open-mouthed  at  the  merry  scene  above 
his  head.  Just  as  Sirona  was  preparing  to  run  down, 
she  perceived  him  and  started ;  but  when  she  saw  that 
the  anchorite  from  pure  embarrassment  could  find  no 
words  in  which  to  answer  her  question  as  to  what  he 
wanted,  she  laughed  heartily  again  and  called  out: 
"  Come  up,  we  shall  not  hurt  you — shall  we  children  ?" 

Meanwhile  Hermas  had  found  courage  enough  to 
give  utterance  to  his  wish  to  speak  with  the  senator, 
and  the  young  woman,  who  looked  with  complacency 
on  his  strong  and  youthful  frame,  offered  to  conduct 
him  to  him. 

Petrus  had  been  talking  to  his  grown  up  elder  sons; 
they  were  tall  men,  but  their  father  was  even  taller  than 
they,  and  of  unusual  breadth  of  shoulder. 

While  the  young  men  were  speaking,  he  stroked  his 
short  grey  beard  and  looked  down  at  the  ground  in 


$8  HOMO    SUM. 

sombre  gravity,  as  it  might  have  seemed  to  the  careless 
observer;  but  any  one  who  looked  closer  might  quick- 
ly perceive  that  not  seldom  a  pleased  smile,  though  not 
less  often  a  somewhat  bitter  one,  played  upon  the  lips 
of  the  prudent  and  judicious  man.  He  was  one  of 
those  who  can  play  with  their  children  like  a  young 
mother,  take  the  sorrows  of  another  as  much  to  heart 
as  if  they  were  their  own,  and  yet  who  look  so  gloomy, 
and  allow  themselves  to  make  such  sharp  speeches, 
that  only  those  who  are  on  terms  of  perfect  confidence 
with  them,  cease  to  misunderstand  them  and  fear  them. 
There  was  something  fretting  the  soul  of  this  man,  who 
nevertheless  possessed  all  that  could  contribute  to 
human  happiness.  His  was  a  thankful  nature,  and  yet 
he  was  conscious  that  he  might  have  been  destined  to 
something  greater  than  fate  had  permitted  him  to  achieve 
or  to  be.  He  had  remained  a  stone-cutter,  but  his  sons 
had  both  completed  their  education  in  good  schools  in 
Alexandria.  The  elder,  Antonius,  who  already  had  a 
house  of  his  own  and  a  wife  and  children,  was  an  archi- 
tect and  artist-mechanic ;  the  younger,  Polykarp,  was  a 
gifted  young  sculptor.  The  noble  church  of  the  oasis- 
city  had  been  built  under  the  direction  of  the  elder ; 
Polykarp,  who  had  only  come  home  a  month  since,  was 
preparing  to  establish  and  carry  on  works  of  great  ex- 
tent in  his  father's  quarries,  for  he  had  received  a  com- 
mission to  decorate  the  new  court  of  the  Sebasteion  or 
Caesareum,  as  it  was  called — a  grand  pile  in  Alexandria 
— with  twenty  granite  lions'.  More  than  thirty  artists 
had  competed  with  him  for  this  work,  bufc>the  prize  was 
unanimously  adjudged  to  his  models  by  qualified  judges. 
The  architect  whose  function  it  was  to  construct  the 
colonnades  and  pavement  of  the  court  was  his  friend, 


HOMO    SUM.  39 

and  had  agreed  to  procure  the  blocks  of  granite,  the 
flags  and  the  columns  which  he  required  from  Petrus' 
quarries,  and  not,  as  had  formerly  been  the  custom,  from 
those  of  Syene  by  the  first  Cataract. 

Antonius  and  Polykarp  were  now  standing  with 
their  father  before  a  large  table,  explaining  to  him  a 
plan  which  they  had  worked  out  together  and  traced 
on  the  thin  wax  surface  of  a  wooden  tablet.  The 
young  architect's  proposal  was  to  bridge  over  a  deep 
but  narrow  gorge,  which  the  beasts  of  burden  were 
obliged  to  avoid  by  making  a  wide  circuit,  and  so  to 
make  a  new  way  from  the  quarries  to  the  sea,  which 
should  be  shorter  by  a  third  than  the  old  one.  The 
cost  of  this  structure  would  soon  be  recouped  by  the 
saving  in  labor,  and  with  perfect  certainty,  if  only  the 
transport-ships  were  laden  at  Clysma  with  a  profitable 
return  freight  of  Alexandrian  manufactures,  instead  of 
returning  empty  as  they  had  hitherto  done.  Petrus, 
who  could  shine  as  a  speaker  in  the  council-meetings, 
in  private  life  spoke  but  little.  At  each  of  his  son's  new 
projects  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  speaker's  face,  as  if  to 
see  whether  the  young  man  had  not  lost  his  wits,  while 
his  mouth,  only  half  hidden  by  his  grey  beard,  smiled 
approvingly. 

When  Antonius  began  to  unfold  his  plan  for  remedy- 
ing the  inconvenience  of  the  ravine  that  impeded  the 
way,  the  senator  muttered,  "  Only  get  feathers  to  grow 
on  the  slaves,  and  turn  the  black  ones  into  ravens  and 
the  white  ones  into  gulls,  and  then  they  might  fly  across. 
What  do  not  .people  learn  in  the  metropolis!" 

When  he  heard  the  word  '  bridge '  he  stared  at  the 
young  artist.  "The  only  question,"  said  he,  "is  whether 
Heaven    will  lend  us  a  rainbow."       But   when  Poly- 


40  HOMO    SUM. 

karp  proposed  to  get  some  cedar  trunks  from  Syria 
through  his  friend  in  Alexandria,  and  when  his  elder 
son  explained  his  drawings  of  the  arch  with  which  he 
promised  to  span  the  gorge  and  make  it  strong  and  safe, 
he  followed  their  words  with  attention ;  at  the  same 
time  he  knit  his  eyebrows  as  gloomily  and  looked  as 
stern  as  if  he  were  listening  to  some  narrative  of  crime. 
Still,  he  let  them  speak  on  to  the  end,  and  though  at 
first  he  only  muttered  that  it  was  mere  "fancy-work"  or 
"Aye,  indeed,  if  I  were  the  emperor;"  he  afterwards 
asked  clear  and  precise  questions,  to  which  he  received 
positive  and  well  considered  answers.  Antonius  proved 
by  figures  that  the  profit  on  the  delivery  of  material  for 
the  Csesareum  only  would  cover  more  than  three  quar- 
ters of  the  outlay.  Then  Polykarp  began  to  speak  and 
declared  that  the  granite  of  the  Holy  Mountain  was 
finer  in  color  and  in  larger  blocks  than  that  from  Syene. 

"  We  work  cheaper  here  than  at  the  Cataract,"  in- 
terrupted Antonius.  "  And  the  transport  of  the  blocks 
will  not  come  too  dear  when  we  have  the  bridge  and 
command  the  road  to  the  sea,  and  avail  ourselves  of 
the  canal  of  Trajan,  which  joins  the  Nile  to  the  Red 
Sea,  and  which  in  a  few  months  will  again  be  navigable." 

"  And  if  my  lions  are  a  success,"  added  Polykarp, 
"  and  if  Zenodotus  is  satisfied  with  our  stone  and  our 
work,  it  may  easily  happen  that  we  outstrip  Syene  in 
competition,  and  that  some  of  the  enormous  orders 
that  now  flow  from  Constan tine's  new  residence  to  the 
quarries  at  Syene,  may  find  their  way  to  us." 

"  Polykarp  is  not  over  sanguine,"  continued  An- 
tonius, "  for  the  emperor  is  beautifying  and  adding  to 
Byzantium  with  eager  haste.  Whoever  erects  a  new 
house  has  a  yearly  allowance  of  corn,  and  in   order  to 


homo  sum.  41 

attract  folks  of  our  stamp — of  whom  he  cannot  get 
enough — he  promises  entire  exemption  from  taxation  to 
all  sculptors,  architects,  and  even  to  skilled  laborers. 
If  we  finish  the  blocks  and  pillars  here  exactly  to  the 
designs,  they  will  take  up  no  superfluous  room  in  the 
ships,  and  no  one  will  be  able  to  deliver  them  so  cheap- 
ly as  we." 

"  No,  nor  so  good,"  cried  Polykarp,  "  for  you  your- 
self are  an  artist,  father,  and  understand  stone-work  as 
well  as  any  man.  I  never  saw  a  finer  or  more  equally 
colored  granite  than  the  block  you  picked  out  for  my 
first  lion.  I  am  finishing  it  here  on  the  spot,  and  I 
fancy  it  will  make  a  show.  Certainly  it  will  be  difficult 
to  take  a  foremost  place  among  the  noble  works  of 
the  most  splendid  period  of  art,  which  already  fill  the 
Csesareum,  but  I  will  do  my  best." 

"  The  Lions  will  be  admirable,"  cried  Antonius  with 
a  glance  of  pride  at  his  brother.  •'  Nothing  like  them 
has  been  done  by  any  one  these  ten  years,  and  I  know 
the  Alexandrians.  If  the  master's  work  is  praised  that 
is  made  out  of  granite  from  the  Holy  Mountain,  all  the 
world  will  have  granite  from  thence  and  from  no  where 
else.  It  all  depends  on  whether  the  transport  of  the 
stone  to  the  sea  can  be  made  less  difficult  and  costly." 

"  Let  us  try  it  then,"  said  Petrus,  who  during  his 
son's  talk  had  walked  up  and  down  before  them  in  si- 
lence. "  Let  us  try  the  building  of  the  bridge  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  We  will  work  out  the  road  if  the 
municipality  will  declare  themselves  ready  to  bear  half 
the  cost;  not  otherwise,  and  I  tell  you  frankly,  you 
have  both  grown  most  able  men." 

The  younger  son  grasped  his  father's  hand  and 
pressed  it  with  warm  affection  to  his  lips.     Petrus  hastily 


42  HOMO    SUM. 

stroked  his  brown  locks,  then  he  offered  his  strong  right 
hand  to  his  eldest-born  and  said:  "We  must  increase 
the  number  of  our  slaves.     Call  your  mother,  Polykarp." 

The  youth  obeyed  with  cheerful  alacrity,  and  when 
Dame  Dorothea — who  was  sitting  at  the  loom  with  her 
daughter  Marthana  and  some  of  her  female  slaves — saw 
him  rush  into  the  women's  room  with  a  glowing  face, 
she  rose  with  youthful  briskness  in  spite  of  her  stout 
and  dignified  figure,  and  called  out  to  her  son : 

"  He  has  approved  of  your  plans  ?  " 

"  Bridge  and  all,  mother,  everything,"  cried  the 
young  man.  "  Finer  granite  for  my  lions,  than  my 
father  has  picked  out  for  me  is  nowhere  to  be  found, 
and  how  glad  I  am  for  Antonius !  only  we  must  have 
patience  about  the  roadway.  He  wants  to  speak  to 
you  at  once." 

Dorothea  signed  to  her  son  to  moderate  his  ecstasy, 
for  he  had  seized  her  hand,  and  was  pulling  her  away 
with  him,  but  the  tears  that  stood  in  her  kind  eyes  tes- 
tified how  deeply  she  sympathized  in  her  favorite's  ex- 
citement. 

"  Patience,  patience,  I  am  coming  directly,"  cried 
she,  drawing  away  her  hand  in  order  to  arrange  her 
dress  and  her  grey  hair,  which  was  abundant  and  care- 
fully dressed,  and  formed  a  meet  setting  for  her  still 
pleasing  and  unwrinkled  face. 

"  I  knew  it  would  be  so ;  when  you  have  a  reason- 
able thing  to  propose  to  your  father,  he  will  always 
listen  to  you  and  agree  with  you  without  my  inter- 
vention; women  should  not  mix  themselves  up  with 
men's  work.  Youth  draws  a  strong  bow  and  often 
shoots  beyond  the  mark.  It  would  be  a  pretty  thing  if 
out  of  foolish  affection  for  you  I  were  to  try  to  play  the 


HOMO    SUM.  43 

siren  that  should  ensnare  the  steersman  of  the  house — 
your  father — with  flattering  words.  You  laugh  at  the 
grey-haired  siren  ?  But  love  overlooks  the  ravages  of 
years  and  has  a  good  memory  for  all  that  was  once 
pleasing.  Besides,  men  have  not  always  wax  in  their 
ears  when  they  should  have.  Come  now  to  your 
father." 

Dorothea  went  out  past  Polykarp  and  her  daughter. 
The  former  held  his  sister  back  by  the  hand  and  asked: 

"  Was  not  Sirona  with  you  ?  " 

The  sculptor  tried  to  appear  quite  indifferent,  but 
he  blushed  as  he  spoke ;  Marthana  observed  this  and 
replied  not  without  a  roguish  glance  :  "  She  did  show 
us  her  pretty  face ;  but  important  business  called  her 
away." 

"  Sirona  ?  "  asked  Polykarp  incredulously. 

11  Certainly,  why  not ! "  answered  Marthana  laughing. 
"  She  had  to  sew  a  new  gown  for  the  children's  doll." 

"  Why  do  you  mock  at  her  kindness  ? "  said  Poly- 
karp reproachfully. 

"  How  sensitive  you  are ! "  said  Marthana  softly. 
"  Sirona  is  as  kind  and  sweet  as  an  angel ;  but  you  had 
better  look  at  .her  rather  less,  for  she  is  not  one  of  us, 
and  repulsive  as  the  choleric  centurion  is  to  me — " 

She  said  no  more,  for  Dame  Dorothea,  having 
reached  the  door  of  the  sitting-room,  looked  around 
for  her  children. 

Petrus  received  his  wife  with  no  less  gravity  than 
was  usual  with  him,  but  there  was  an  arch  sparkle  in 
his  half  closed  eyes  as  he  asked :  "  You  scarcely  know 
what  is  going  on,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  You  are  madmen,  who  would  fain  take  Heaven 
by  storm,"  she  answered  gaily. 


44  HOMO    SUM. 

"  If  the  undertaking  fails,"  said  Petrus,  pointing  to 
his  sons,  "  those  young  ones  will  feel  the  loss  longer 
than  we  shall." 

"  But  it  will  succeed,"  cried  Dorothea.  "An  old 
commander  and  young  soldiers  can  win  any  battle." 
She  held  out  her  small  plump  hand  with  frank  briskness 
to  her  husband,  he  clasped  it  cheerily  and  said:  "I 
think  I  can  carry  the  project  for  the  road  through  the 
Senate.  To  build  our  bridge  we  must  also  procure  help- 
ing hands,  and  for  that  we  need  your  aid,  Dorothea. 
Our  slaves  will  not  suffice." 

"  Wait,"  cried  the  lady  eagerly;  she  went  to  the 
window  and  called,  "  Jethro,  Jethro  ! " 

The  person  thus  addressed,  the  old  house-steward, 
appeared,  and  Dorothea  began  to  discuss  with  him  as  to 
which  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  oasis  might  be  disposed 
to  let  them  have  some  able-bodied  men,  and  whether  it 
might  not  be  possible  to  employ  one  or  another  of  the 
house-slaves  at  the  building. 

All  that  she  said  was  judicious  and  precise,  and 
showed  that  she  herself  superintended  her  household  in 
every  detail,  and  was  accustomed  to  command  with 
complete  freedom. 

"  That  tall  Anubis  then  is  really  indispensable  in  the 
stable  ?  "  she  asked  in  conclusion.  The  steward,  who 
up  to  this  moment  had  spoken  shortly  and  intelligently, 
hesitated  to  answer;  at  the  same  time  he  looked  up  at 
Petrus,  who,  sunk  in  the  contemplation  of  the  plan, 
had  his  back  to  him ;  his  glance,  and  a  deprecating 
movement,  expressed  very  clearly  that  he  had  some- 
thing to  tell,  but  feared  to  speak  in  the  presence  of  his 
master.  Dame  Dorothea  was  quick  of  comprehension, 
and  she  quite  understood  Jethro's  meaning;  it  was  for 


HOMO    SUM.  45 

that  very  reason  that  she  said  with  more  of  surprise 
than  displeasure  :  "  What  does  the  man  mean  with  his 
winks  ?    What  I  may  hear,  Petrus  may  hear  too." 

The  senator  turned,  and  looked  at  the  steward  from 
head  to  foot  with  so  dark  a  glance,  that  he  drew  back, 
and  began  to  speak  quickly.  But  he  was  interrupted 
by  the  children's  clamors  on  the  stairs  and  by  Sirona, 
who  brought  Hermas  to  the  senator,  and  said  laugh- 
ing :  "  I  found  this  great  fellow  on  the  stairs,  he  was 
seeking  you." 

Petrus  looked  at  the  youth,  not  very  kindly,  and 
asked  :    "  Who  are  you  ?  what  is  your  business  ?  " 

Hermas  struggled  in  vain  for  speech  j  the  presence 
of  so  many  human  beings,  of  whom  three  were  women, 
filled  him  with  the  utmost  confusion.  His  fingers 
twisted  the  woolly  curls  on  his  sheep-skin,  and  his  lips 
moved  but  gave  no  sound ;  at  last  he  succeeded  in 
stammering  out,  "  I  am  the  son  of  old  Stephanus,  who 
was  wounded  in  the  last  raid  of  the  Saracens.  My 
father  has  hardly  slept  these  five  nights,  and  now  Paulus 
has  sent  me  to  you — the  pious  Paulus  of  Alexandria — 
but  you  know — and  so  I — " 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  said  Petrus  with  encouraging  kind- 
ness. "  You  want  some  medicine  for  the  old  man. 
See  Dorothea,  what  a  fine  young  fellow  he  is  grown, 
this  is  the  little  man  that  the  Antiochian  took  with  him 
up  the  mountain." 

Hermas  colored,  and  drew  himself  up ;  then  he  ob- 
served with  great  satisfaction  that  he  was  taller  than 
the  senator's  sons,  who  were  of  about  the  same  age  as 
he,  and  for  whom  he  had  a  stronger  feeling,  allied  to 
aversion  and  fear,  than  even  for  their  stern  father. 
Polykarp  measured  him  with  a  glance,  and  said  aloud  to 


46  HOMO    SUM. 

"Sirona,  with  whom  he  had  exchanged  a  greeting,  and 
off  whom  he  had  never  once  taken  his  eyes  since  she 
had  come  in :  "  If  we  could  get  twenty  slaves  with 
such  shoulders  as  those,  we  should  get  on  well.  There 
is  work  to  be  done  here,  you  big  fellow — " 

"  My  name  is  not  '  fellow,'  but  Hermas,"  said  the 
anchorite,  and  the  veins  of  his  forehead  began  to  swell. 

Polykarp  felt  that  his  father's  visitor  was  something 
more  than  his  poor  clothing  would  seem  to  indicate, 
and  that  he  had  hurt  his  feelings.  He  had  certainly 
seen  some  old  anchorites,  who  led  a  contemplative  and 
penitential  life  up  on  the  sacred  mountain,  but  it  had 
never  occurred  to  him  that  a  strong  youth  could  be- 
long to  the  brotherhood  of  hermits.  So  he  said  to  him 
kindly :  "  Hermas — is  that  your  name  ?  We  all  use  our 
hands  here  and  labor  is  no  disgrace;  what  is  your 
handicraft  ?  " 

This  question  roused  the  young  anchorite  to  the 
highest  excitement,  and  Dame  Dorothea,  who  perceived 
what  was  passing  in  his  mind,  said  with  quick  decision  : 
"  He  nurses  his  sick  father.  That  is  what  you  do,  my  son, 
is  it  not  ?     Petrus  will  not  refuse  you  his  help." 

0  Certainly  not,"  the  senator  added,  "  I  will  accom- 
pany you  by-and-bye  to  see  him.  You  must  know, 
my  children,  that  this  youth's  father  was  a  great  Lord, 
who  gave  up  rich  possessions  in  order  to  forget  the 
world,  where  he  had  gone  through  bitter  experiences, 
and  to  serve  God  in  his  own  way,  which  we  ought  to 
respect  though  it  is  not  our  own.  Sit  down  there,  my 
son.  First  we  must  finish  some  important  business, 
and  then  I  will  go  with  you." 

"  We  live  high  up  on  the  mountain,"  stammered 
Hermas. 


HOMO    SUM.  47 

"Then  the  air  will  be  all  the  purer,"  replied  the 
senator.  "  But  stay — perhaps  the  old  man  is  alone — 
no  ?  The  good  Paulus,  you  say,  is  with  him  ?  Then 
he  is  in  good  hands,  and  you  may  wait." 

For  a  moment  Petrus  stood  considering,  then  he 
beckoned  to  his  sons,  and  said,  "  Antonius,  go  at  once 
and  see  about  some  slaves — you,  Polykarp,  find  some 
strong  beasts  of  burden.  You  are  generally  rather 
easy  with  your  money,  and  in  this  case  it  is  worth 
while  to  buy  the  dearest.  The  sooner  you  return  well 
supplied  the  better.  Action  must  not  halt  behind  de- 
cision, but  follow  it  quickly  and  sharply,  as  the  sound 
follows  the  blow.  You,  Marthana,  mix  some  of  the 
brown  fever-potion,  and  prepare  some  bandages ;  you 
have  the  key." 

"  I  will  help  her,"  cried  Sirona,  who  was  glad  to 
prove  herself  useful,  and  who  was  sincerely  sorry  for 
the  sick  old  hermit ;  besides,  Hermas  seemed  to  her  like 
a  discovery  of  her  own,  for  whom  she  involuntarily  felt 
more  consideration  since  she  had  learned  that  he  was 
the  son  of  a  man  of  rank. 

While  the  young  women  were  busy  at  the  medicine- 
cupboard,  Antonius  and  Polykarp  left  the  room. 

The  latter  had  already  crossed  the  threshold,  when 
he  turned  once  more,  and  cast  a  long  look  at  Sirona. 
Then,  with  a  hasty  movement,  he  went  on,  closed  the 
door,  and  with  a  heavy  sigh  descended  the  stairs. 

As  soon  as  his  sons  were  gone,  Petrus  turned  to  the 
steward  again. 

"  What  is  wrong  with  the  slave  Anubis  ?  "  he  asked. 

"He  is — wounded, hurt,"  answered  Jethro,  "and  for 
the  next  few  days  will  be  useless.  The  goat-girl  Miriam 
— the  wild  cat— cut  his  forehead  with  her  reaping  hook." 


48  HOMO    SUM. 

"  Why  did  I  not  hear  01  this  sooner  ?  "  cried  Do- 
rothea reprovingly.    "  What  have  you  done  to  the  girl  ? %* 

"  We  have  shut  her  up  in  the  hay  loft,"  answered 
Jethro,  "  and  there  she  is  raging  and  storming."  The 
mistress  shook  her  head  disapprovingly.  "  The  girl 
will  not  be  improved  by  that  treatment,"  she  said.  "  Go 
and  bring  her  to  me." 

As  soon  as  the  intendant  had  left  the  room,  she  ex- 
claimed, turning  to  her  husband,  "One  may  well  be 
perplexed  about  these  poor  creatures,  when  one  sees 
how  they  behave  to  each  other.  I  have  seen  it  a  thou- 
sand times !  No  judgment  is  so  hard  as  that  dealt  by 
a  slave  to  slaves !  " 

Jethro  and  a  woman  now  led  Miriam  into  the  room. 
The  girl's  hands  were  bound  with  thick  cords,  and  dry 
grass  clung  to  her  dress  and  rough  black  hair.  A  dark 
fire  glowed  m  her  eyes,  and  the  muscles  of  her  face 
moved  incessantly,  as  if  she  had  St.  Vitus'  dance.  When 
Dorothea  looked  at  her  she  drew  herself  up  defiantly, 
and  looked  around  the  room,  as  if  to  estimate  the 
strength  of  her  enemies. 

She  then  perceived  Hermas ,  the  blood  left  her  lips, 
with  a  violent  effort  she  tore  her  slender  hands  out  of 
the  loops  that  confined  them,  covering  her  face  with 
them,  and  3ed  to  the  door.  But  Jethro  put  himself  in 
her  way,  and  seized  her  shoulder  with  a  strong  grasp. 
Miriam  shrieked  aloud,  and  the  senator's  daughter,  who 
had  set  down  the  medicines  she  had  had  in  her  hand, 
and  had  watched  the  girl's  movements  with  much  sym- 
pathy, hastened  towards  her.  She  pushed  away  the 
old  man's  hand,  and  said,  "  Do  not  be  frightened, 
Miriam.  Whatever  you  may  have  done,  my  father  can 
forgive  you." 


HOMO    SUM. 


49 


Her  voice  had  a  tone  of  sisterly  affection,  and  the 
shepherdess  followed  Marthana  unresistingly  to  the 
table,  on  which  the  plans  for  the  bridge  were  lying,  and 
stood  there  by  her  side. 

For  a  minute  all  were  silent ;  at  last  Dame  Dorothea 
went  up  to  Miriam,  and  asked,  "  What  did  they  do  to 
you,  my  poor  child,  that  you  could  so  forget  yourself?  " 

Miriam  could  not  understand  what  was  happening 
to  her ;  she  had  been  prepared  for  scoldings  and  blows, 
nay  for  bonds  and  imprisonment,  and  now  these  gentle 
words  and  kind  looks  !  Her  defiant  spirit  was  quelled, 
her  eyes  met  the  friendly  eyes  of  her  mistress,  and  she. 
said  in  a  low  voice :  "  He  had  followed  me  for  such  a 
long  time,  and  wanted  to  ask  you  for  me  as  his  wife ; 
but  I  cannot  bear  him — I  hate  him  as  I  do  all  your 
slaves."  At  these  words  her  eyes  sparkled  wildly  again, 
and  with  her  old  fire  she  went  on,  "  I  wish  I  had  only 
hit  him  with  a  stick  instead  of  a  sickle ;  but  I  took 
what  first  came  to  hand  to  defend  myself.  When  a 
man  touches  me — I  cannot  bear  it,  it  is  horrible,  dread- 
ful !  Yesterday  I  came  home  later  than  usual  with  the 
beasts,  and  by  the  time  I  had  milked  the  goats,  and 
was  going  to  bed,  every  one  in  the  house  was  asleep. 
Then  Anubis  met  me,'  and  began  chattering  about  love; 
I  repelled  him,  but  he  seized  me,  and  held  me  with  his 
hand  here  on  my  head  and  wanted  to  kiss  me ;  then 
my  blood  rose,  I  caught  hold  of  my  reaping  hook,  that 
hung  by  my  side,  and  it  was  not  till  I  saw  him  roaring 
on  the  ground,  that  I  saw  I  had  done  wrong.  How  it 
happened  I  really  cannot  tell — something  seemed  to 
rise  up  in  me — something — I  don't  know  what  to  call 
it.  It  drives  me  on  as  the  wind  drives  the  leaves  that 
lie  on  the  road,  and  I  cannot  help  it.    The   best  thing 


50  HOMO    SUM. 

you  can  do  is  to  let  me  die,  for  then  you  would  be  safe 
once  for  all  from  my  wickedness,  and  all  would  be  over 
and  done  with." 

"  How  can  you  speak  so  ?  "  interrupted  Marthana. 
"You  are  wild  and  ungovernable,  but  not  wicked." 

"  Only  ask  him !  "  cried  the  girl,  pointing  with  flash- 
ing eyes  to  Hermas,  who,  on  his  part,  looked  down  at 
the  floor  in  confusion.  The  senator  exchanged  a  hasty 
glance  with  his  wife ;  they  were  accustomed  to  under- 
stand each  other  without  speech,  and  Dorothea  said : 
"  He  who  feels  that  he  is  not  what  he  ought  to  be, 
is  already  on  the  high-road  to  amendment.  We  let  you 
keep  the  goats  because  you  were  always  running  after 
the  flocks,  and  never  can  rest  in  the  house.  You  are 
up  on  the  mountain  before  morning-prayer,  and  never 
come  home  till  after  supper  is  over,  and  no  one  takes 
any  thought  for  the  better  part  of  you.  Half  of  your 
guilt  recoils  upon  us,  and  we  have  no  right  to  punish 
you.  You  need  not  be  so  astonished ;  every  one  some- 
times does  wrong.  Petrus  and  I  are  human  beings  like 
you,  neither  more  nor  less ;  but  we  are  Christians,  and 
it  is  our  duty  to  look  after  the  souls  which  God  has  en- 
trusted to  our  care,  be  they  our  children  or  our  slaves. 
You  must  go  no  more  up  the  mountain,  but  shall  stay 
with  us  in  the  house.  I  shall  willingly  forgive  your 
hasty  deed  if  Petrus  does  not  think  it  necessary  to 
punish  you." 

The  senator  gravely  shook  his  head  in  sign  of  agree- 
ment, and  Dorothea  turned  to  enquire  of  Jethro :  "  Is 
Anubis  badly  wounded  and  does  he  need  any  care  ?  " 

"  He  is  lying  in  a  fever  and  wanders  in  'his  talk," 
was  the  answer.  "  Old  Praxinoa  is  cooling  his  wound 
with  water." 


HOMO    SUM.  .  51 

"  Then  Miriam  can  take  her  place  and  try  to  remedy 
the  mischief  which  she  was  the  cause  of,"  said  Dorothea. 
Half  of  your  guilt  will  be  atoned  for,  girl,  if  Anubis 
recovers  under  your  care.  I  will  come  presently  with 
Marthana,  and  show  you  how  to  make  a  bandage." 
The  shepherdess  cast  down  her  eyes,  and  passively 
allowed  herself  to  be  conducted  to  the  wounded  man. 

Meanwhile  Marthana  had  prepared  the  brown  mix- 
ture. Petrus  had  his  staff  and  felt-hat  brought  to  him, 
gave  Hermas  the  medicine  and  desired  him  to  follow 
him. 

Sirona  looked  after  the  couple  as  they  went.  "  What 
a  pity  for  such  a  fine  lad ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  A  purple 
•coat  would  suit  him  better  than  that  wretched  sheep- 
skin." 

The  mistress  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  signing  to 
her  daughter  said :  "  Come  to  work,  Marthana,  the  sun 
is  already  high.  How  the  days  fly!  the  older  one 
grows  the  quicker  the  hours  hurry  away." 

"  I  must  be  very  young  then,"  said  the  centurion's 
wife  "  for  in  this  wilderness  time  seems  to  me  to  creep 
along  frightfully  slow.  One  day  is  the  same  as  another, 
and  I  often  feel  as  if  life  were  standing  perfectly  still, 
and  my  heart  pulses  with  it.  What  should  I  be  without 
your  house  and  the  children  ? — always  the  same  moun- 
tain, the  same  palm-trees,  the  same  faces ! — " 

"  But  the  mountain  is  glorious,  the  trees  are  beau- 
tiful ! "  answered  Dorothea.  "  And  if  we  love  the 
people  with  whom  we  are  in  daily  intercourse,  even 
here  we  may  be  contented  and  happy.  At  least  we  our- 
selves are,  so  far  as  the  difficulties  of  life  allow.  I  have 
often  told  you,  what  you  want  is  work." 

"  Work !  but  for  whom  ?  "  asked  Sirona.    "  If  indeed 


52  HOMO    SUM. 

I  had  children  like  you !  Even  in  Rome  I  was  not 
happy,  far  from  it ;  and  yet  there  was  plenty  to  do  and 
to  think  about.  Here  a  procession,  there  a  theatre;  but 
here !  And  for  whom  should  I  dress  even  ?  My  jewels 
grow  dull  in  my  chest,  and  the  moths  eat  my  best 
clothes.  I  am  making  doll's  clothes  now  of  my  colored 
cloak  for  your  little  ones.  If  some  demon  were  to 
transform  me  into  a  hedge-hog  or  a  grey  owl,  it  would 
be  all  the  same  to  me." 

"  Do  not  be  so  sinful,"  said  Dorothea  gravely,  but 
looking  with  kindly  admiration  at  the  golden  hair  and 
lovely  sweet  face  of  the  young  woman.  "  It  ought  to  be 
a  pleasure  to  you  to  dress  yourself  for  your  husband." 

"  For  him  ?  "  said  Sirona.  "  He  never  looks'  at  me, 
or  if  he  does  it  is  only  to  abuse  me.  The  only  wonder 
to  me  is  that  I  can  still  be  merry  at  all  j  nor  am  I, 
except  in  your  house,  and  not  there  even  but  when  I 
forget  him  altogether." 

"  I  will  not  hear  such  things  said — not  another 
word,"  interrupted  Dorothea  severely.  "  Take  the  linen 
and  cooling  lotion,  Marthana,  we  will  go  and  bind  up 
Anubis'  wound." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Petrus  went  up  the  mountain  side  with  Hermas. 
The  old  man  followed  the  youth,  who  showed  him  the 
way,  and  as  he  raised  his  eyes  from  time  to  time,  he 
glanced  with  admiration  at  his  guide's  broad  shoulders 
and  elastic  limbs.  The  road  grew  broader  when  it 
reached  a  little  mountain  plateau,  and  from  thence  the 


UNIVERSITY 

two  men  walked  on  side  by  side,  but  for  some  time 
without  speaking  till  the  senator  asked :  "  How  long 
now  has  your  father  lived  up  on  the  mountain  ?  " 

"  Many  years,"  answered  Hermas.  "  But  I  do  not 
know  how  many — and  it  is  all  one.  No  one  enquires 
about  time  up  here  among  us." 

The  senator  stood  still  a  moment  and  measured  his 
companion  with  a  glance. 

"  You  have  been  with  your  father  ever  since  he 
came  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  He  never  lets  me  out  of  his  sight ; "  replied  Her- 
mas. "  I  have  been  only  twice  into  the  oasis,  even  to 
go  to  the  church." 

"  Then  you  have  been  to  no  school  ?  " 

"To  what  school  should  I  go!  My  father  has 
taught  me  to  read  the  Gospels  and  I  could  write,  but  I 
have  nearly  forgotten  how.  Of  what  use  would  it  be 
to  me  ?    We  live  like  praying  beasts." 

Deep  bitterness  sounded  in  the  last  words,  and 
Petrus  could  see  into  the  troubled  spirit  of  his  com- 
panion, overflowing  as  it  was  with  weary  disgust,  and 
he  perceived  how  the  active  powers  of  youth  revolted 
in  aversion  against  the  slothful  waste  of  life,  to  which 
he  was  condemned.  He  was  grieved  for  the  boy,  and 
he  was  not  one  of  those  who  pass  by  those  in  peril 
without  helping  them.  Then  he  thought  of  his  own 
sons,  who  had  grown  up  in  the  exercise  and  fulfilment 
of  serious  duties,  and  he  owned  to  himself  that  the  fine 
young  fellow  by  his  side  was  in  no  way  their  inferior, 
and  needed  nothing  but  to  be  guided  aright.  He 
thoughtfully  looked  first  at  the  youth  and  then  on  the 
ground,  and  muttered  unintelligible  words  into  his  grey 
beard  as  they  walked  on.    Suddenly   he  drew   himself 


54  HOMO    SUM. 

up  and  nodded  decisively ;  he  would  make  an  attempt 
to  save  Hermas,  and  faithful  to  his  own  nature,  action 
trod  on  the  heels  of  resolve.  Where  the  little  level 
ended  the  road  divided,  one  path  continued  to  lead  up- 
wards, the  other  deviated  to  the  valley  and  ended  at 
the  quarries.  Petrus  was  for  taking  the  latter,  but 
Hermas  cried  out,  "  That  is  not  the  way  to  our  cave ; 
you  must  follow  me." 

"  Follow  thou  me !  "  replied  the  senator,  and  the 
words  were  spoken  with  a  tone  and  expression,  that  left 
no  doubt  in  the  youth's  mind  as  to  their  double  mean- 
ing. "  The  day  is  yet  before  us,  and  we  will  see  what 
my  laborers  are  doing.  Do  you  know  the  spot  where 
they  quarry  the  stone  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  not  know  it  ?  "  said  Hermas,  pass- 
ing the  senator  to  lead  the  way.  "  I  know  every  path 
from  our  mountain  to  the  oasis,  and  to  the  sea.  A  pan- 
ther had  its  lair  in  the  ravine  behind  your  quarries." 

"  So  we  have  learnt,"  said  Petrus.  "  The  thievish 
beasts  have  slaughtered  two  young  camels,  and  the 
people  can  neither  catch  them  in  their  toils  nor  run 
them  down  with  dogs." 

"  They  will  leave  you  in  peace  now,"  said  the  boy 
laughing.  "  I  brought  down  the  male  from  the  rock  up 
there  with  an  arrow,  and  I  found  the  mother  in  a  hollow 
with  her  young  ones.  I  had  a  harder  job  wi£h her;  my 
knife  is  so  bad,  and  the  copper  blade  bent  wi/h  the  blow ; 
I  had  to  strangle  the  gaudy  devil  with  my-  hands,  and 
she  tore  my  shoulder  and  bit  my  arm.  Look  !  there  are 
the  scars.  But  thank  God,  my  wounds  heal  quicker 
than  my  father's.  Paulus  says,  I  am  like  an  earth-worm; 
when  it  is  cut  in  two  the  two  halves  say  good-bye  to 
each  other,  and  crawl  off  sound  and  gay,  one  one  way, 


HOMO    SUM.  55 

and  the  other  another  way.  The  young  panthers  were 
so  funny  and  helpless,  I  would  not  kill  them,  but  I  did 
them  up  in  my  sheepskin,  and  brought  them  to  my 
father.  He  laughed  at  the  little  beggars,  and  then  a 
Nabataean  took  them  to  be  sold  at  Clysma  to  a  mer- 
chant from  Rome.  There  and  at  Byzantium,  there  is  a 
demand  for  all  kinds  of  living  beasts  of  prey.  I  got 
some  money  for  them,  and  for  the  skins  of  the  old  ones, 
and  kept  it  to  pay  for  my  journey,  when  I  went  with 
the  others  to  Alexandria  to  ask  the  blessing  of  the  new 
Patriarch." 

"  You  went  to  the  metropolis  ?  "  asked  Petrus.  .  You 
saw  the  great  structures,  that  secure  the  coast  from  the 
inroads  of  the  sea,  the  tall  Pharos  with  the  far-shining 
fire,  the  strong  bridges,  the  churches,  the  palaces  and 
temples  with  their  obelisks,  pillars,  and  beautiful  paved 
courts  ?  Did  it  never  enter  your  mind  to  think  that  it 
would  be  a  proud  thing  to  construct  such  buildings  ?  " 

Hermas  shook  his  head.  "  Certainly  I  would  rather 
live  in  an  airy  house  with  colonnades  than  in  our  dingy 
cavern,  but  building  would  never  be  in  my  way. 
What  a  long  time  it  takes  to  put  one  stone  on  another ! 
I  am  not  patient,  and  when  I  leave  my  father  I  will  do 
something  that  shall  win  me  fame.  But  there  are  the 
quarries —  "  Petrus  did  rtot  let  his  companion  finish  his 
sentence,  but  interrupted  him  with  all  the  warmth  of 
youth,  exclaiming :  "  And  do  you  mean  to  say  that 
fame  cannot  be  won  by  the  arts  of  building  ?  Look 
there  at  the  blocks  and  flags,  here  at  the  pillars  of  hard 
stone.  These  are  all  to  be  sent  to  Aila,  and  there  my 
son  Antonius,  the  elder  of  the  two  that  you  saw  just 
now,  is  going  to  build  a  House  of  God,  with  strong 
walls  and  pillars,  much  larger  and  handsomer  than  our 


56  HOMO    SUM. 

church  in  the  oasis,  and  that  is  his  work  too.  He  is  not 
much  older  than  you  are,  and  already  he  is  famous 
among  the  people  far  and  wide.  Out  of  those  red 
blocks  down  there  my  younger  son  Polykarp  will  hew 
noble  lions,  which  are  destined  to  decorate  the  finest 
building  in  the  capital  itself.  When  you  and  I,  and  all 
that  are  now  living,  shall  have  been  long  since  forgotten, 
still  it  will  be  said  these  are  the  work  of  the  Master 
Polykarp,  the  son  of  Petrus,  the  Pharanite.  What  he 
can  do  is  certainly  a  thing  peculiar  to  himself,  no  one 
who  is  not  one  of  the  chosen  and  gifted  ones  can  say, 
*  I  will  learn  to  do  that.'  But  you  have  a  sound  under- 
standing, strong  hands  and  open  eyes,  and  who  can  tell 
what  else  there  is  hidden  in  you.  If  you  could  begin  to 
learn  soon,  it  would  not  yet  be  too  late  to  make  a  worthy 
master  of  you,  but  of  course  he  who  would  rise  so  high 
must  not  be  afraid  of  work.  Is  your  mind  set  upon 
fame  ?  That  is  quite  right,  and  I  am  very  glad  of  it ;  but 
you  must  know  that  he  who  would  gather  that  rare  fruit 
must  water  it,  as  a  noble  heathen  once  said,  with  the 
sweat  of  his  brow.  Without  trouble  and  labor  and 
struggles  there  can  be  no  victory,  and  men  rarely  earn 
fame  without  fighting  for  victory." 

The  old  man's  vehemence  was  contagious ;  the  lad's 
spirit  was  roused,  and  he  exclaimed  warmly :  "  What 
do  you  say  ?  that  I  am  afraid  of  struggles  and  trouble? 
I  am  ready  to  stake  everything,  even  my  life,  only  to 
win  fame.  But  to  measure  stone,  to  batter  defenceless 
blocks  with  a  mallet  and  chisel,  or  to  join  the  squares 
with  accurate  pains — that  does  not  tempt  me.  I 
should  like  to  win  the  wreath  in  the  Palaestra  by* fling- 
ing the  strongest  to  the  ground,  or  surpass  all  others  as 
a  warrior  in  battle ;  my  father  was  a  soldier  too,  and  he 


HOMO    SUM.  57 

may  talk  as  much  as  he  will  of  'peace,'  and  nothing 
but  'peace,'  all  the  same  in  his  dreams  he  speaks  of 
bloody  strife  and  burning  wounds.  If  you  only  cure 
him  I  will  stay  no  longer  on  this  lonely  mountain,  even 
if  I  must  steal  away  in  secret.  For  what  did  God  give 
me  these  arms,  if  not  to  use  them  ?  " 

Petrus  made  no  answer  to  these  words,  which  came 
in  a  stormy  flood  from  Hernias'  lips,  but  he  stroked  his 
grey  beard,  and  thought  to  himself,  "  The  young  of  the 
eagle  does  not  catch  flies.  I  shall  never  win  over  this 
soldier's  son  to  our  peaceful  handicraft,  but  he  shall  not 
remain  on  the  mountain  among  these  queer  sluggards, 
for  there  he  is  being  ruined,  and  yet  he  is  not  of  a 
common  sort." 

When  he  had  given  a  few  orders  to  the  overseer  of 
his  workmen,  he  followed  the  young  man  to  see  his 
suffering  father. 

It  was  now  some  hours  since  Hermas  and  Paulus 
had  left  the  wounded  anchorite,  and  he  still  lay  alone 
in  his  cave.  The  sun,  as  it  rose  higher  and  higher, 
blazed  down  upon  the  rocks,  which  began  to  radiate 
their  heat,  and  the  hermit's  dwelling  was  suffocatingly 
hot.  The  pain  of  the  poor  man's  wound  increased,  his 
fever  was  greater,  and  he  was  very  thirsty.  There 
stood  the  jug,  which  Paulus  had  given  him,  but  it  was 
long  since  empty,  and  neither  Paulus  nor  Hermas  had 
come  back.  He  listened  anxiously  to  the  sounds  in 
the  distance,  and  fancied  at  first  that  he  heard  the 
Alexandrian's  footstep,  and  then  that  he  heard  loud 
words  and  suppressed  groans  coming  from  his  cave. 
Stephanus  tried  to  call  out,  but  he  himself  could  hardly 
hear  the  feeble  sound,  which,  with  his  wounded  breast 
and  parched  mouth,  he  succeeded  in  uttering.     Then 


58  HOMO    SUM. 

he  fain  would  have  prayed,  but  fearful  mental  anguish 
disturbed  his  devotion.  All  the  horrors  of  desertion 
came  upon  him,  and  he  who  had  lived  a  life  overflow- 
ing with  action  and  enjoyment,  with  disenchantment 
and  satiety,  who  now  in  solitude  carried  on  an  incessant 
spiritual  struggle  for  the  highest  goal — this  man  felt 
himself  as  disconsolate  and  lonely  as  a  bewildered  child 
that  has  lost  its  mother. 

He  lay  on  his  bed  of  pain  softly  crying,  and  when 
he  observed  by  the  shadow  of  the  rock  that  the  sun 
had  passed  its  noonday  height,  indignation  and  bitter 
feeling  were  added  to  pain,  thirst  and  weariness.  He 
doubled  his  fists  and  muttered  words  which  sounded 
like  soldier's  oaths,  (  and  with  them  the  name  now  of 
Paulus,  now  of  his  son.  At  last  anguish  gained  the 
upperhand  of  his  anger,  and  it  seemed  to  him,  as  though 
he  were  living  over  again  the  most  miserable  hour  of 
his  life,  an  hour  now  long  since  past  and  gone. 

He  thought  he  was  returning  from  a  noisy  banquet 
in  the  palace  of  the  Caesars.  His  slaves  had  taken  the 
garlands  of  roses  and  poplar  leaves  from  his  brow  and 
breast,  and  robed  him  in  his  night-dress;  now,  with  a 
silver  lamp  in  his  hand,  he  was  approaching  his  bed- 
room, and  he  smiled,  for  his  young  wife  was  awaiting 
him,  the  mother  of  his  Hermas.  She  was  fair  and  he 
loved  her  well,  and  he  had  brought  home  witty  sayings 
to  repeat  to  her  from  the  table  of  the  emperor.  He, 
if  any  one,  had  a  right  to  smile.  Now  he  was  in  the 
ante-room,  in  which  two  slave-women  were  accustomed 
to  keep  watch;  he  found  only  one,  and  she  was  sleep- 
ing and  breathing  deeply ;  he  still  smiled  as  he  threw 
the  light  upon  her  face — how  stupid  she  looked  with 
her  mouth  open !    An  alabaster  lamp  shed  a  dim  light 


HOMO    SUM.  59 

in  the  bed-room,  softly  and  still  smiling  he  went  up  to 
Glycera's  ivory  couch,  and  held  up  his  lamp,  and 
stared  at  the  empty  and  undisturbed  bed — and  the 
smile  faded  from  his  lips.  The  smile  of  that  evening 
came  back  to  him  no  more  through  all  the  long  years, 
for  Glycera  had  betrayed  him,  and  left  him — him  and 
her  child.  All  this  had  happened  twenty  years  since, 
and  to-day  all  that  he  had  then  felt  had  returned  to  him, 
and  he  saw  his  wife's  empty  couch  with  his  "  mind's 
eye,"  as  plainly  as  he  had  then  seen  it,  and  he  felt  as 
lonely  and  as  miserable  as  in  that  night.  But  now  a 
shadow  appeared  before  the  opening  of  the  cave,  and 
he  breathed  a  deep  sigh  as  he  felt  himself  released  from 
the  hideous  vision,  for  he  had  recognized  Paulus,  who 
came  up  and  knelt  down  beside  him. 

"  Water,  water ! "  Stephanus  implored  in  a  low 
voice,  and  Paulus,  who  was  cut  to  the  heart  by  the 
moaning  of  the  old  man,  which  he  had  not  heard  till 
he  entered  the  cave,  seized  the  pitcher.  He  looked 
into  it,  and,  finding  it  quite  dry,  he  rushed  down  to  the 
spring  as  if  he  were  running  for  a  wager,  filled  it  to  the 
brim  and  brought  it  to  the  lips  of  the  sick  man,  who 
gulped  the  grateful  drink  down  with  deep  draughts, 
and  at  last  exclaimed  with  a  sigh  of  relief;  "That 
is  better;  why  were  you  so  long  away?  I  was  so 
thirsty  ! "  Paulus  who  had  fallen  again  on  his  knees  by 
the  old  man,  pressed  his  brow  against  the  couch,  and 
made  no  reply.  Stephanus  gazed  in  astonishment  at 
his  companion,  but  perceiving  that  he  was  weeping 
passionately  ne  asked  no  further  questions.  Perfect 
stillness  reigned  in  the  cave  for  about  an  hour ;  at  last 
Paulus  raised  his  face,  and  said,  "  Forgive  me  Steph- 
anus.    I  forgot  your  necessity  in  prayer  and  scourging* 


60  HOMO    SUM. 

in  order  to  recover  the  peace  of  mind  I  had  trifled  away 
— no  heathen  would  have  done  such  a  thing!"  The 
sick  man  stroked  his  friend's  arm  affectionately ;  but 
Paulus  murmured,  "  Egoism,  miserable  egoism  guides 
and  governs  us.  Which  of  us  ever  thinks  of  the  needs 
of  others  ?  And  we — we  who  profess  to  walk  in  the 
way  of  the  Lamb !  " 

He  sighed  deeply,  and  leaned  his  head  on  the  sick 
man's  breast,  who  lovingly  stroked  his  rough  hair,  and 
it  was  thus  that  the  senator  found  him,  when  he  entered 
the  cave  with  Hermas. 

The  idle  way  of  life  of  the  anchorites  was  wholly 
repulsive  to  his  views  of  the  task  for  men  and  for 
Christians,  but  he  succored  those  whom  he  could,  and 
made  no  enquiries  about  the  condition  of  the  sufferer. 
The  pathetic  union  in  which  he  found  the  two  men 
touched  his  heart,  and,  turning  to  Paulus,  he  said 
kindly :  "  I  can  leave  you  in  perfect  comfort,  for  you 
seem  to  me  to  have  a  faithful  nurse." 

The  Alexandrian  reddened ;  he  shook  his  head,  and 
replied :  "I?  I  thought  of  no  one  but  myself,  and 
left  him  to  suffer  and  thirst  in  neglect,  but  now  I  will 
not  quit  him — no,  indeed,  I  will  not,  and  by  God's 
help  and  yours,  he  shall  recover." 

Petrus  gave  him  a  friendly  nod,  for  he  did  not  be- 
lieve in  the  anchorite's  self-accusation,  though  he  did  in 
his  good-will ;  and  before  he  left  the  cave,  he  desired 
Hermas  to  come  to  him  early  on  the  following  day  to 
give  him  news  of  his  father's  state.  He  wished  not  only 
to  cure  Stephanus,  but  to  continue  his  relations  with 
the  youth,  who  had  excited  his  interest  in  the  highest 
degree,  and  he  had  resolved  to  help  him  to  escape  from 
the  inactive  life  which  was  weighing  upon  him. 


HOMO    SUM.  6l 

Paulus  declined  to  share  the  simple  supper  that  the 
father  and  son  were  eating,  but  expressed  his  intention 
of  remaining  with  the  sick  man.  He  desired  Hermas 
to  pass  the  night  in  his  dwelling,  as  the  scanty  limits  of 
the  cave  left  but  narrow  room  for  the  lad. 

A  new  life  had  this  day  dawned  upon  the  young 
man ;  all  the  grievances  and  desires  which  had  filled  his 
soul  ever  since  his  journey  to  Alexandria,  crowding  to- 
gether in  dull  confusion,  had  taken  form  and  color,  and 
he  knew  now  that  he  could  not  remain  an  anchorite, 
but  must  try  his  over  abundant  strength  in  real  life. 

"  My  father,"  thought  he,  "  was  a  warrior,  and  lived 
in  a  palace,  before  he  retired  into  our  dingy  cave ;  Paulus 
was  Menander,  and  to  this  day  has  not  forgotten  how  to 
throw  the  discus ;  I  am  young,  strong,  and  free-born  as 
they  were,  and  Petrus  says,  I  might  have  been  a  fine 
man.  I  will  not  hew  and  chisel  stones  like  his  sons,  but 
Caesar  needs  soldiers,  and  among  all  the  Amalekites, 
nay  among  the  Romans  in  the  oasis,  I  saw  none  with 
whom  I  might  not  match  myself." 

While  thus  he  thought  he  stretched  his  limbs,  and 
struck  his  hands  on  his  broad  breast,  and  when  he  was 
asleep,  he  dreamed  of  the  wrestling  school,  and  of  a  pur- 
ple robe  that  Paulus  held  out  to  him,  of  a  wreath  of 
poplar  leaves  that  rested  on  his  scented  curls,  and  of  the 
beautiful  woman  who  had  met  him  on  the  stairs  of  the 
senator's  house. 


62  HOMO    SUM. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Thanks  to  the  senator's  potion  Stephanus  soon 
fell  asleep.  Paulus  sat  near  him  and  did  not  stir;  he 
held  his  breath,  and  painfully  suppressed  even  an  im- 
pulse to  cough,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  sick  man's  light 
slumbers. 

An  hour  after  midnight  the  old  man  awoke,  and  after 
he  had  lain  meditating  for  some  time  with  his  eyes  open, 
he  said  thoughtfully  :  "  You  called  yourself  and  us  all 
egotistic,  and  I  certainly  am  so.  I  have  often  said  so  to 
myself;  not  for  the  first  time  to  day,  but  for  weeks  past, 
since  Hermas  came  back  from  Alexandria,  and  seems  to 
have  forgotten  how  to  laugh.  He  is  not  happy,  and 
when  I  ask  myself  what  is  to  become  of  him  when  I  am 
dead,  and  if  he  turns  from  the  Lord  and  seeks  the 
pleasures  of  the  world,  my  heart  sickens.  I  meant  it  for 
the  best  when  I  brought  him  with  me  up  to  the  Holy 
Mountain,  but  that  was  not  the  only  motive — it  seemed 
to  me  too  hard  to  part  altogether  from  the  child.  My 
God !  the  young  of  brutes  are  secure  of  their  mother's 
faithful  love,  and  his  never  asked  for  him  when  she  fled 
from  my  house  with  her  seducer.  I  thought  he  should 
at  least  not  lose  his  father,  and  that  if  he  grew  up  far 
away  from  the  world  he  would  be  spared  all  the  sorrow 
that  it  had  so  profusely  heaped  upon  me.  I  would  have 
brought  him  up  fit  for  Heaven,  and  yet  through  a  life 
devoid  of  suffering.  And  now — and  now  ?  If  he  is 
miserable  it  will  be  through  me,  and  added  to  all  my 
other  troubles  comes  this  grief." 


HOMO    SUM.  63 

"  You  have  sought  out  the  way  for  him,"  interrupted 
Paulus,  "  and  the  rest  will  be  sure  to  come ;  he  loves 
you  and  will  certainly  not  leave  you  so  long  as  you  are 
suffering. " 

"  Certainly  not  ?"  asked  the  sick  man  sadly.  "  And 
what  weapons  has  he  to  fight  through  life  with  ?  " 

"  You  gave  him  the  Saviour  for  a  guide ;  that  is 
enough,"  said  Paulus  soothingly.  "  There  is  no  smooth 
road  from  earth  to  Heaven,  and  none  can  win  salvation 
for  another." 

Stephanus  was  silent  for  a  long  time,  then  he  said : 
"  It  is  not  even  allowed  to  a  father  to  earn  the  wretched 
experience  of  life  for  his  son,  or  to  a  teacher  for  his  pupil. 
We  may  point  out  the  goal,  but  the  way  thither  is  by  a 
different  road  for  each  of  us." 

"  And  we  may  thank  God  for  that,"  cried  Paulus. 
*'  For  Hermas  has  been  started  on  the  road  which  you 
and  I  had  first  to  find  for  ourselves." 

"  You  and  I,"  repeated  the  sick  man  thoughtfully. 
u  Yes,  each  of  us  has  sought  his  own  way,  but  has  en- 
quired only  which  was  his  own  way,  and  has  never  con- 
cerned himself  about  that  of  the  other.  Self!  self! — 
How  many  years  we  have  dwelt  close  together,  and  I 
have  never  felt  impelled  to  ask  you  what  you  could  re- 
call to  mind  about  your  youth,  and  how  you  were  led 
to  grace.  I  learnt  by  accident  that  you  were  an  Alex- 
andrian, and  had  been  a  heathen,  and  had  suffered  much 
for  the  faith,  and  with  that  I  was  satisfied.  Indeed  you 
do  not  seem  very  ready  to  speak  of  those  long  past 
days.  Our  neighbor  should  be  as  dear  to  us  as  our  self, 
and  who  is  nearer  to  me  than  you  ?  Aye,  self  and  self- 
ishness !  There  are  many  gulfs  on  the  road  towards 
God." 


64  HOMO    SUM. 

"  I  have  not  much  to  tell,"  said  Paulus.  "  But  a 
man  never  forgets  what  he  once  has  been.  We  may 
cast  the  old  man  from  us,  and  believe  we  have  shaken 
ourselves  free,  when  lo!  it  is  there  again  and  greets 
us  as  an  old  acquaintance.  If  a  frog  only  once 
comes  down  from  his  tree  he  hops  back  into  the  pond 
again." 

"  It  is  true,  memory  can  never  die !  "  cried  the  sick 
man.  "  I  can  not  sleep  any  more ;  tell  me  about  your 
early  life  and  how  you  became  a  Christian.  When  two 
men  have  journeyed  by  the  same  road,  and  the  moment 
of  parting  is  at  hand,  they  are  fain  to  ask  each  other's 
name  and  where  they  came  from." 

Paulus  gazed  for  some  time  into  space,  and  then  he 
began :  "  The  companions  of  my  youth  called  me 
Menander,  the  son  of  Herophilus.  Besides  that,  I 
know  for  certain  very  little  of  my  youth,  for  as  I  have 
already  told  you,  I  have  long  since  ceased  to  allow  my- 
self to  think  of  the  world.  He  who  abandons  a  thing, 
but  clings  to  the  idea  of  the  thing,  continues — " 

"  That  sounds  like  Plato,"  said  Stephanus  with  a 
smile. 

"  All  that  heathen  farrago  comes  back  to  me  to- 
day," cried  Paulus.  "  I  used  to  know  it  well,  and  I  have 
often  thought  that  his  face  must  have  resembled  that  of 
the  Saviour." 

"  But  only  as  a  beautiful  song  might  resemble  the 
voice  of  an  angel,"  said  Stephanus  somewhat  drily. 
"  He  who  plunges  into  the  depths  of  philosophic  sys- 
tems— " 

"  That  never  was  quite  my  case,"  said  Paulus.  "  I 
did  indeed  go  through  the  whole  educational  course ; 
Grammar,  Rhetoric,  Dialectic  and  Music — " 


HOMO    SUM.  65 

"  And  Arithmetic,  Geometry,  and  Astronomy," 
added  Stephanus. 

"  Those  were  left  to  the  learned  many  years  since," 
continued  Paulus,  "  and  I  was  never  very  eager  for 
learning.  In  the  school  of  Rhetoric  I  remained  far  be- 
hind my  fellows,  and  if  Plato  was  dear  to  me  I  owe  it 
to  Paedonomus  of  Athens,  a  worthy  man  whom  my 
father  engaged  to  teach  us." 

"  They  say  he  had  been  a  great  merchant,"  inter- 
rupted Stephanus.  "  Can  it  be  that  you  were  the  son 
of  that  rich  Herophilus,  whose  business  in  Antioch  was 
conducted  by  the  worthy  Jew  Urbib  ?  " 

"  Yes  indeed,"  replied  Paulus,  looking  down  at  the 
ground  in  some  confusion.  "  Our  mode  of  life  was  al- 
most royal,  and  the  multitude  of  our  slaves  quite  sinful. 
When  I  look  back  on  all  the  vain  trifles  that  my  father 
had  to  care  for,  I  feel  quite  giddy.  Twenty  sea-going 
ships  in  the  harbor  of  Eunostus,  and  eighty  Nile-boats 
on  Lake  Mareotis  belonged  to  him.  His  profits  on  the 
manufacture  of  papyrus  might  have  maintained  a  city- 
full  of  poor.  But  we  needed  our  revenues  for  other 
things.  Our  Cyraenian  horses  stood  in  marble  stalls,  and 
the  great  hall,  in  which  my  father's  friends  were  wont  to 
meet,  was  like  a  temple.  But  you  see  how  the  world 
takes  possession  of  us,  when  we  begin  to  think  about  it ! 
Rather  let  us  leave  the  past  in  peace.  You  want  me  to 
tell  you  more  of  myself?  Well;  my  childhood  passed 
like  that  of  a  thousand  other  rich  citizens'  sons,  only  my 
mother,  indeed,  was  exceptionally  beautiful  and  sweet, 
and  of  angelic  goodness." 

"  Every  child  thinks  his  own  mother  the  best  of 
mothers,"  murmured  the  sick  man. 

"  Mine  certainly  was  the  best  to  me,"  cried  Paulus. 


66  HOMO    SUM. 

"  And  yet  she  was  a  heathen.  When  my  father  hurt  me 
with  severe  words  of  blame,  she  always  had  a  kind  word 
and  loving  glance  for  me.  There  was  little  enough,  in- 
deed, to  praise  in  me.  Learning  was  utterly  distasteful 
to  me,  and  even  if  I  had  done  better  at  school,  it  would 
hardly  have  counted  for  much  to  my  credit,  for  my  broth- 
er Apollonius,  who  was  about  a  year  younger  than  I, 
learned  all  the  most  difficult  things  as  if  they  were  mere 
child's  play,  and  in  dialectic  exercises  there  soon  was  no 
rhetorician  in  Alexandria  who  could  compete  with  him. 
No  system  was  unknown  to  him,  and  though  no  one 
ever  knew  of  his  troubling  himself  particularly  to  study, 
he  nevertheless  was  master  of  many  departments  of 
learning.  There  were  but  two  things  in  which  I  could 
beat  him — in  music,  and  in  all  athletic  exercises ;  while 
he  was  studying  and  disputing  I  was  winning  garlands 
in  the  palaestra.  But  at  that  time  the  best  master  of 
rhetoric  and  argument  was  the  best  man,  and  my  father, 
who  himself  could  shine  in  the  senate  as  an  ardent  and 
elegant  orator,  looked  upon  me  as  a  half  idiotic  ne'er- 
do-weel,  until  one  day  a  learned  client  of  our  house  pre- 
sented him  with  a  pebble  on  which  was  carved  an 
epigram  to  this  effect :  '  He  who  would  see  the  noblest 
gifts  of  the  Greek  race,  should  visit  the  house  of  Hero- 
philus,  for  there  he  might  admire  strength  and  vigor  of 
body  in  Menander,  and  the  same  qualities  of  mind  in 
Apollonius.'  These  lines,  which  were  written  in  the 
form  of  a  lute,  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  grati- 
fied my  father's  ambition ;  from  that  time  he  had  words 
of  praise  for  me  when  my  quadriga  won  the  race  in  the 
Hippodrome,  or  when  I  came  home  crowned  from  the 
wrestling-ring,  or  the  singing  match.  My  whole  life  was 
spent  in  the  baths  and  the  palaestra,  or  in  gay  feasting." 


HOMO    SUM.  67 

u  I  know  it  all,"  exclaimed  Stephanus  interrupting 
him,  "  and  the  memory  of  it  all  often  disturbs  me. 
Did  you  find  it  easy  to  banish  these  images  from  your 
mind?" 

"  At  first  I  had  a  hard  fight,"  sighed  Paulus.  "  But 
for  some  time  now,  since  I  have  passed  my  fortieth 
year,  the  temptations  of  the  world  torment  me  less  often. 
Only  I  must  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  carriers  who 
"bring  fish  from  the  fishing  towns  on  the  sea,  and  from 
Raithu  to  the  oasis." 

Stephanus  looked  enquiringly  at  the  speaker,  and 
Paulus  went  on  :  "  Yes,  it  is  very  strange.  I  may  see 
men  or  women — the  sea  yonder  or  the  mountain  here, 
without  ever  thinking  of  Alexandria,  but  only  of  sacred 
things ;  but  when  the  savor  of  fish  rises  up  to  my  nos- 
trils I  see  the  market  and  fish  stalls  and  the  oysters — " 

"  Those  of  Kanopus  are  famous,"  interrupted  Steph- 
anus, "they  make  little  pasties  there — "  Paulus  passed 
the  back  of  his  hand  over  his  bearded  lips,  exclaiming, 
**  At  the  shop  of  the  fat  cook — Philemon — in  the  street 
of  Herakleotis."  But  he  broke  off,  and  cried  with  an  im- 
pulse of  shame,  "  It  were  better  that  I  should  cease  tell- 
ing of  my  past  life.  The  day  does  not  dawn  yet,  and 
you  must  try  to  sleep." 

"  I  cannot  sleep,"  sighed  Stephanus ;  "  if  you  love 
me  go  on  with  your  story." 

"  But  do  not  interrupt  me  again  then,"  said  Paulus, 
and  he  went  on :  "  With  all  this  gay  life  I  was  not  happy 
— by  no  means.  When  I  was  alone  sometimes,  and  no 
longer  sitting  in  the  crowd  of  merry  boon-companions 
and  complaisant  wenches,  emptying  the  wine  cup  and 
crowned  with  poplar,  I  often  felt  as  if  I  were  walking  on 
the  brink  of  a  dark  abyss — as  if  every  thing  in  myself 


68.  HOMO    SUM. 

and  around  me  were  utterly  hollow  and  empty.  I  could 
stand  gazing  for  hours  at  the  sea,  and  as  the  waves  rose 
only  to  sink  again  and  vanish,  I  often  reflected  that  I 
was  like  them,  and  that  the  future  of  my  frivolous  pre- 
sent must  be  a  mere  empty  nothing.  Our  gods  were  of 
little  account  with  us.  My  mother  sacrificed  now  in 
one  temple,  and  now  in  another,  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  moment ;  my  father  took  part  in  the  high  fes- 
tivals, but  he  laughed  at  the  belief  of  the  multitude,  and 
my  brother  talked  of  the  '  Primaeval  Unity,'  and  dealt 
with  all  sorts  of  demons,  and  magic  formulas.  He  ac- 
cepted the  doctrine  of  Iamblichus,  Ablavius,  and  the 
other  Neoplatonic  philosophers,  which  to  my  poor  un- 
derstanding seemed  either  superhumanly  profound  or 
else  debasingly  foolish ;  nevertheless  my  memory  retains 
many  of  his  sayings,  which  I  have  learned  to  understand 
here  in  my  loneliness.  It  is  vain  to  seek  reason  outside 
ourselves;  the  highest  to  which  we  can  attain  is  for 
reason  to  behold  itself  in  us !  As  often  as  the  world 
sinks  into  nothingness  in  my  soul,  and  I  live  in  God 
only,  and  have  Him,  and  comprehend  Him,  and  feel 
Him  only — then  that  doctrine  recurs  to  me.  How  all 
these  fools  sought  and  listened  everywhere  for  the  truth 
which  was  being  proclaimed  in  their  very  ears !  There 
were  Christians  everywhere  about  me,  and  at  that  time 
they  had  no  need  to  conceal  themselves,  but  I  had 
nothing  to  do  with  them.  Twice  only  did  they  cross 
my  path  ;  once  I  was  not  a  little  annoyed  when,  on  the 
Hippodrome,  a  Christian's  horses  which  had  been 
blessed  by  a  Nazarite,  beat  mine ;  and  on  another  oc- 
casion it  seemed  strange  to  me  when  I  myself  received 
the  blessing  of  an  old  Christian  dock-laborer,  having 
pulled  his  son  out  of  the  water. 


HOMO    SUM.  69 

"  Years  went  on ;  my  parents  died.  My  mother's 
last  glance  was  directed  at  me,  for  I  had  always  been 
her  favorite  child.  They  said  too  that  I  was  like  her,  I 
and  my  sister  Arsinoe,  who,  soon  after  my  father's 
death,  married  the  Prefect  Pompey.  At  the  division  of 
the  property  I  gave  up  to  my  brother  the  manufactories 
and  the  management  of  the  business,  nay  even  the 
house  in  the  city,  though,  as  the  elder  brother,  I  had  a 
right  to  it,  and  I  took  in  exchange  the  land  near  the 
Kanopic  gate,  and  filled  the  stables  there  with  splendid 
horses,  and  the  lofts  with  not  less  noble  wine.  This  I 
needed,  because  I  gave  up  the  days  to  baths  and  con- 
tests in  the  arena,  and  the  nights  to  feasting,  sometimes 
at  my  own  house,  sometimes  at  a  friend's,  and  some- 
times in  the  taverns  of  Kanopus,  where  the  fairest 
Greek  girls  seasoned  the  feasts  with  singing  and  dancing. 

"What  have  these  details  of  the  vainest  worldly 
pleasure  to  do  with  my  conversion,  you  will  ask.  But 
listen  a  while.  When  Saul  went  forth  to  seek  his  father's 
asses  he  found  a  crown. 

"  One  day  we  had  gone  out  in  our  gilded  boats,  and 
the  Lesbian  girl  Archidike  had  made  ready  a  feast  for 
us  in  her  house,  a  feast  such  as  could  scarcely  be  of- 
fered even  in  Rome. 

"  Since  the  taking  of  our  city  by  Diocletian,  after  the 
insurrection  of  Achilleus,  the  Imperial  troops  who  came 
to  Alexandria  behaved  insolently  enough.  Between 
some  of  my  friends,  and  certain  of  the  young  officers  of 
Roman  patrician  families,  there  had  been  a  good  deal 
of  rough  banter  for  some  months  past,  as  to  their  horses, 
women — I  know  not  what ;  and  it  happened  that  we 
met  these  very  gentry  at  the  house  of  Archidike\ 

"  Sharp  speeches  were  made,  which  the  soldiers  re- 


70  HOMO    SUM. 

plied  to  after  their  fashion,  and  at  last  they  came  to  in- 
sulting words,  and  as  the  wine  heated  us  and  them,  to 
loud  threats. 

"  The  Romans  left  the  house  of  entertainment  before 
we  did.  Crowned  with  garlands,  singing,  and  utterly- 
careless,  we  followed  soon  after  them,  and  had  almost 
reached  the  quay,  when  a  noisy  troop  rushed  out  of  a 
side  street,  and  fell  upon  us  with  naked  weapons.  The 
moon  was  high  in  the  heavens,  and  I  could  recognize 
some  of  our  adversaries.  I  threw  myself  on  a  tall  tri- 
bune, throttled  him,  and,  as  he  fell,  I  fell  with  him  in  the 
dust ;  I  am  but  dimly  conscious  of  what  followed,  for 
sword-strokes  were  showered  upon  me,  and  all  grew 
black  before  my  eyes.  I  only  know  what  I  thought 
then,  face  to  face  with  death." 

«  Well —  ?  "  asked  Stephanus. 

"  I  thought,"  said  Paulus  reddening,  "  of  my  fight- 
ing-quails at  Alexandria,  and  whether  they  had  had  any 
water.  Then  my  dull  heavy  unconsciousness  increased  ; 
for  weeks  I  lay  in  that  state,  for  I  was  hacked  like  sau- 
sage-meat; I  had  twelve  wounds,  not  counting  the 
slighter  ones,  and  any  one  else  would  have  died  of  any 
one  of  them.     You  have  often  wondered  at  my  scars." 

"  And  whom  did  the  Lord  choose  then  to  be  the 
means  of  your  salvation  ?  " 

"  When  I  recovered  my  senses,"  continued  Paulus, 
"  I  was  lying  in  a  large,  clean  room  behind  a  curtain  of 
light  material ;  I  could  not  raise  myself,  but  just  as  if  I 
had  been  sleeping  so  many  minutes  instead  of  days,  I 
thought  again  directly  of  my  quails.  In  their  last  fight 
my  best  cock  had  severely  handled  handsome  Nikan- 
der's,  and  yet  he  wanted  to  dispute  the  stakes  with  me, 
but  I   would  assert  my  rights !      At  least   the   quails 


HOMO    SUM.  71 

should  fight  again,  and  if  Nikander  should  refuse  I 
would  force  him  to  fight  me  with  his  fists  in  the  Palaestra, 
and  give  him  a  blue  reminder  of  his  debt  on  the  eye. 
My  hands  were  still  weak,  and  yet  I  clenched  them  as 
I  thought  of  the  vexatious  affair.  '  I  will  punish  him,' 
I  muttered  to  myself. 

"  Then  I  heard  the  door  of  the  room  open,  and  I 
saw  three  men  respectfully  approaching  a  fourth.  He 
greeted  them  with  dignity,  but  yet  with  friendliness,  and 
rolled  up  a  scroll  which  he  had  been  reading,  I  would 
have  called  out,  but  I  could  not  open  my  parched  lips, 
and  yet  I  saw  and  heard  all  that  was  going  on  around 
me  in  the  room. 

"  It  all  seemed  strange  enough  to  me  then;  even  the 
man's  mode  of  greeting  was  unusual.  I  soon  perceived 
that  he  who  sat  in  the  chair  was  a  judge,  and  that  the 
others  had  come  as  complainants ;  they  were  all  three 
old  and  poor,  but  some  good  men  had  left  them  the  use 
and  interest  of  a  piece  of  land.  During  seed-time  one 
of  them,  a  fine  old  man  with  long  white  hair,  had  been 
ill,  and  he  had  not  been  able  to  help  in  the  harvest 
either ;  '  and  now  they  want  to  withhold  his  portion  of 
the  corn,'  thought  1 ;  but  it  was  quite  otherwise.  The 
two  men  who  were  in  health  had  taken  a  third  part  of 
the  produce  to  the  house  of  the  sick  man,  and  he  obsti- 
nately refused  to  accept  the  corn  because  he  had  helped 
neither  to  sow  nor  to  reap  it,  and  he  demanded  of  the 
judge  that  he  should  signify  to  the  other  two  that  he 
had  no  right  to  receive  goods  which  he  had  not  earned. 

"  The  judge  had  so  far  kept  silence.  But  he  now 
raised  his  sagacious  and  kindly  face  and  asked  the  old 
man,  '  Did  you  pray  for  your  companions  and  for  the 
increase  of  their  labors  ?  " 


72  HOMO    SUM. 

"  '  I  did,'  replied  the  other. 

" '  Then  by  your  intercession  you  helped  them/ 
the  judge  decided,  '  and  the  third  part  of  the  produce  is 
yours  and  you  must  keep  it.' 

"  The  old  man  bowed,  the  three  men  shook  hands, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  judge  was  alone  in  the  room 
again. 

"  I  did  not  know  what  had  come  over  me;  the  com- 
plaint of  the  men  and  the  decision  of  the  judge  seemed 
to  me  senseless,  and  yet  both  the  one  and  the  other 
touched  my  heart.  I  went  to  sleep  again,  and  when  I 
awoke  refreshed  the  next  morning  the  judge  came  up  to 
me  and  gave  me  medicine,  not  only  for  my  body  but 
also  for  my  soul,  which  certainly  was  not  less  in  need  of 
it  than  my  poor  wounded  limbs." 

"  Who  was  the  judge  ?  "  asked  Stephanus. 

"  Eusebius,  the  Presbyter  of  Kanopus.  Some 
Christians  had  found  me  half  dead  on  the  road, 
and  had  carried  me  into  his  house,  for  the  widow 
Theodora,  his  sister,  was  the  deaconess  of  the  town. 
The  two  had  nursed  me  as  if  I  were  their  dearest 
brother.  It  was  not  till  I  grew  stronger  that  they 
showed  me  the  cross  and  the  crown  of  thorns  of  Him 
who  for  my  sake  also  had  taken  upon  Him  such  far 
more  cruel  suffering  than  mine,  and  they  taught  me  to 
love  His  wounds,  and  to  bear  my  own  with  submis- 
sion. In  the  dry  wood  of  despair  soon  budded 
green  shoots  of  hope,  and  instead  of  annihilation  at 
the  end  of  this  life  they  showed  me  Heaven  and 
all  its  joys. 

"  I  became  a  new  man,  and  before  me  there  lay  in 
the  future  an  eternal  and  blessed  existence ;  after  this 
life  I  now  learned  to  look  forward  to  eternity.     The 


HOMO    SUM.  73 

gates  of  Heaven  were  wide  open  before  me,  and  I  was 
baptized  at  Kanopus. 

"  In  Alexandria  they  had  mourned  for  me  as  dead, 
and  my  sister  Arsinoe,  as  heiress  to  my  property,  had 
already  moved  into  my  country-house  with  her  husband, 
the  prefect.  I  willingly  left  her  there,  and  now  lived 
again  in  the  city,  in  order  to  support  the  brethren,  as 
the  persecutions  had  begun  again. 

"  This  was  easy  for  me,  as  through  my  brother-in-law 
I  could  visit  all  the  prisons ;  at  last  I  was  obliged  to 
confess  the  faith,  and  I  suffered  much  on  the  rack  and 
in  the  porphyry  quarries ;  but  every  pain  was  dear  to 
me,  for  it  seemed  to  bring  me  nearer  to  the  goal  of  my 
longings,  and  if  I  find  ought  to  complain  of  up  here  on 
the  Holy  Mountain,  it  is  only  that  the  Lord  deems  me 
unworthy  to  suffer  harder  things,  when  his  beloved  and 
only  Son  took  such  bitter  torments  on  himself  for  me 
and  for  every  wretched  sinner." 

"  Ah  !  saintly  man  !  "  murmured  Stephanus,  devoutly 
kissing  Paulus'  sheep-skin ;  but  Paulus  pulled  it  from 
him,  exclaiming  hastily  : 

"  Cease,  pray  cease — he  who  approaches  me  with 
honors  now  in  this  life  throws  a  rock  in  my  way  to  the 
life  of  the  blessed.  Now  I  will  go  to  the  spring  and 
fetch  you  some  fresh  water." 

When  Paulus  returned  with  the  water-jar  he  found 
Hermas,  who  had  come  to  wish  his  father  good-morning 
before  he  went  down  to  the  oasis  to  fetch  some  new 
medicine  from  the  senator. 


74  HOMO    SUM. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Sirona  was  sitting  at  the  open  window  of  her  bed- 
room, having  her  hair  arranged  by  a  black  woman  that 
her  husband  had  bought  in  Rome.  She  sighed,  while 
the  slave  lightly  touched  the  shining  tresses  here  and 
there  with  perfumed  oil  which  she  had  poured  into  the 
palm  of  her  hand ;  then  she  firmly  grasped  the  long 
thick  waving  mass  of  golden  hair  and  was  parting  it  to 
make  a  plait,  when  Sirona  stopped  her,  saying,  "  Give 
me  the  mirror." 

For  some  minutes  she  looked  with  a  melancholy 
gaze  at  the  image  in  the  polished  metal,  then  she  sighed 
again ;  she  picked  up  the  little  greyhound  that  lay  at 
her  feet,  and  placing  it  in  her  lap,  showed  the  animal  its 
image  in  the  mirror. 

'<  There,  poor  Iambe,"  she  said,  "  if  we  two,  inside 
these  four  walls,  want  to  see  anything  like  a  pleasing 
sight  we  must  look  at  ourselves." 

Then  she  went  on,  turning  to  the  slave.  "  How  the 
poor  little  beast  trembles !  I  believe  it  longs  to  be  back 
again  at  Arelas,  and  is  afraid  we  shall  linger  too  long 
under  this  burning  sky.     Give  me  my  sandals." 

The  black  woman  reached  her  mistress  two  little 
slippers  with  gilt  ornaments  on  the  slight  straps,  but 
Sirona  flung  her  hair  off  her  face  with  the  back  of  her 
hand,  exclaiming,  "  The  old  ones,  not  these.  Wooden 
shoes  even  would  do  here." 

And  with  these  words  she  pointed  to  the  court-yard 
under  the  window,  which  was  in  fact  as  ill  contrived,  as 


: 


HOMO    SUM.  75 

though  gilt  sandals  had  never  yet  trodden  it.  It  was 
surrounded  by  buildings ;  on  one  side  was  a  wall  with  a 
gateway,  and  on  the  others  buildings  which  formed  a 
sharply  bent  horseshoe. 

Opposite  the  wing  in  which  Sirona  and  her  husband 
had  found  a  home  stood  the  much  higher  house  of 
Petrus,  and  both  had  attached  to  them,  in  the  back- 
ground of  the  court-yard,  sheds  constructed  of  rough 
reddish  brown  stones,  and  covered  with  a  thatch  of 
palm-branches ;  in  these  the  agricultural  implements 
were  stored,  and  the  senator's  slaves  lived.  In  front 
lay  a  heap  of  black  charcoal,  which  was  made  on 
the  spot  by  burning  the  wood  of  the  thorny  sajal — 
a  species  of  acacia ;  and  there  too  lay  a  goodly  row 
of  well  smoothed  mill-stones,  which  were  shaped  in 
the  quarry,  and  exported  to  Egypt.  At  this  early  hour 
the  whole  unlovely  domain  lay  in  deep  shadow,  and 
was  crowded  with  fowls  and  pigeons.  Sirona's  win- 
dow alone  was  touched  by  the  morning  sun.  'If  she 
could  have  known  what  a  charm  the  golden  light 
shed  over  her  figure,  on  her  rose  and  white  face, 
and  her  shining  hair,  she  would  have  welcomed  the 
day-star,  instead  of  complaining  that  it  had  too  early 
waked  her  from  sleep— her  best  comfort  in  her  soli- 
tude. 

Besides  a  few  adjoining  rooms  she  was  mistress  of  a 
larger  room,  the  dwelling  room,  which  look  out  upon 
the  street. 

She  shaded  her  eyes  with  her  hand,  exclaiming, 
"  Oh !  the  wearisome  sun.  It  looks  at  us  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning  through  the  window ;  as  if  the  day  were 
not  long  enough.  The  beds  must  be  put  in  the  front- 
room;  I  insist  upon  it." 


*]6  HOMO    SUM. 

The  slave  shook  her  head,  and  stammered  an  an- 
swer, "  Phoebicius  will  not  have  it  so." 

Sirona's  eyes  flashed  angrily,  and  her  voice,  which 
was  particularly  sweet,  trembled  slightly  as  she  asked, 
*'  What  is  wrong  with  him  again  ?  " 

"  He  says,"  replied  the  slave,  "  that  the  senator's 
son,  Polykarp,  goes  oftener  past  your  window  than 
altogether  pleases  him,  and  it  seems  to  him,  that  you 
occupy  yourself  more  than  is  necessary  with  his  little 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  the  other  children  up  there." 

"  Is  he  still  in  there  ?  "  asked  Sirona  with  glowing 
cheeks,  and  she  pointed  threateningly  to  the  dwelling- 
room. 

"The  master  is  out,"  stuttered  the  old  woman. 
"  He  went  out  before  sunrise.  You  are  not  to  wait  for 
breakfast,  he  will  not  return  till  late." 

The  Gaulish  lady  made  no  answer,  but  her  head  fell, 
and  the  deepest  melancholy  overspread  her  features. 

The  greyhound  seemed  to  feel  for  the  troubles  of  his 
mistress,  for  he  fawned  upon  her,  as  if  to  kiss  her.  The 
solitary  woman  pressed  the  little  creature,  which  had 
come  with  her  from  her  home,  closely  to  her  bosom ; 
for  an  unwonted  sense  of  wretchedness  weighed  upon 
her  heart,  and  she  felt  as  lonely,  friendless,  and  aban- 
doned, as  if  she  were  driving  alone — alone — over  a  wide 
and  shoreless  sea.  She  shuddered,  as  if  she  were  cold 
— for  she  thought  of  her  husband,  the  man  who  here  in 
the  desert  should  have  been  all  in  all  to  her,  but  whose 
presence  filled  her  with  aversion,  whose  indifference  had 
ceased  to  wound  her,  and  whose  tenderness  she  feared 
far  more  than  his  wild  irritability — she  had  never  loved 
him. 

She  had  grown  up  free  from  care  among  a  number  of 


HOMO    RUM.  77 

brothers  and  sisters.  Her  father  had  been  the  chief  ac- 
countant of  the  decurions'  college  in  his  native  town, 
and  he  had  lived  opposite  the  circus,  where,  being  of  a 
stern  temper,  he  had  never  permitted  his  daughters  to 
look  on  at  the  games;  but  he  could  not  prevent  their 
seeing  the  crowd  streaming  into  the  amphitheatre,  or 
hearing  their  shouts  of  delight,  and  their  eager  cries  of 
approbation. 

Sirona  thus  grew  up  in  the  presence  of  other  people's 
pleasure,  and  in  a  constantly  revived  and  never  satisfied 
longing  to  share  it ;  she  had,  indeed,  no  time  for  unnec- 
essary occupations,  for  her  mother  died  before  she  was 
fully  grown  up,  and  she  was  compelled  to  take  charge 
of  the  eight  younger  children.  This  she  did  in  all 
fidelity,  but  in  her  hours  of  leisure  she  loved  to  listen 
to  the  stories  told  her  by  the  wives  of  officials,  who 
had  seen,  and  could  praise,  the  splendors  of  Rome  the 
golden. 

She  knew  that  she  was  fair,  for  she  need  only  go  out- 
side the  house  to  hear  it  said ;  but  though  she  longed 
to  see  the  capital,  it  was  not  for  the  sake  of  being  ad- 
mired, but  because  there  was  there  so  much  that  was 
splendid  to  see  and  to  admire.  So,  when  the  Centurion 
Phcebicius,  the  commandant  of  the  garrison  of  her  na- 
tive town,  was  transferred  to  Rome,  and  when  he 
desired  to  take  the  seventeen-years-old  girl  with  him  to 
the  imperial  city,  as  his  wife — she  was  more  than  forty 
years  younger  than  he — she  followed  him  full  of  hope 
and  eager  anticipation. 

Not  long  after  their  marriage  she  started  for  Rome 
by  sea  from  Massilia,  accompanied  by  an  old  relative ; 
and  he  went  by  land  at  the  head  of  his  cohorts. 

She  reached  their  destination  long  before  her  hus- 


78  HOMO    SUM. 

band,  and  without  waiting  for  him,  but  constantly  in  the 
society  of  her  old  duenna,  she  gave  herself  up  with  the 
freedom  and  eagerness  of  her  fresh  youth  to  the  delights 
of  seeing  and  admiring. 

It  did  not  escape  her,  while  she  did  so,  that  she  at- 
tracted all  eyes  wherever  she  went,  and  however  much 
this  flattered  and  pleased  her  at  first,  it  spoilt  many  of 
her  pleasures,  when  the  Romans,  young  and  old,  began 
to  follow  and  court  her.  At  last  Phcebicius  arrived,  and 
when  he  found  his  house  crowded  with  his  wife's  ad- 
mirers he  behaved  to  Sirona  as  though  she  had  long 
since  betrayed  his  honor. 

Nevertheless  he  dragged  her  from  pleasure  to  plea- 
sure, and  from  one  spectacle  to  another,  for  it  gratified 
him  to  show  himself  in  public  with  his  beautiful  young 
wife.  She  certainly  was  not  free  from  frivolity,  but  she 
had  learnt  early  from  her  strict  father,  as  being  the  guide 
of  her  younger  sisters,  to  distinguish  clearly  right  from 
wrong,  and  the  pure  from  the  unclean ;  and  she  soon 
discovered  that  the  joys  of  the  capital,  which  had 
seemed  at  first  to  be  gay  flowers  with  bright  colors, 
and  redolent  with  intoxicating  perfume,  bloomed  on 
the  surface  of  a  foul  bog. 

She  at  first  had  contemplated  all  that  was  beautiful, 
pleasant,  and  characteristic  with  delight ;  but  her  hus- 
band took  pleasure  only  in  things  which  revolted  her  as 
being  common  and  abominable.  He  watched  her  every 
glance,  and  yet  he  pointed  nothing  out  to  her,  but  what 
was  hurtful  to  the  feelings  of  a  pure  woman.  Pleasure 
became  her  torment,  for  the  sweetest  wine  is  repulsive 
when  it  has  been  tasted  by  impure  lips.  After  every 
feast  and  spectacle  he  loaded  her  with  outrageous  re- 
proaches, and  when  at  last,  weary  of  such  treatment, 


HOMO    SUM.  79 

she  refused  to  quit  the  house,  he  obliged  her  neverthe- 
less to  accompany  him  as  often  as  the  Legate  Quintillus 
desired  it.  The  legate  was  his  superior-officer,  and  he 
sent  her  every  day  some  present  or  flowers. 

Up  to  this  time  she  had  borne  with  him,  and  had 
tried  to  excuse  him,  and  to  think  herself  answerable 
for  much  of  what  she  endured.  But  at  last — about 
ten  months  after  her  marriage — something  occurred  be- 
tween her  and  Phcebicius — something  which  stood  like 
a  wall  of  brass  between  him  and  her;  and  as  this 
something  had  led  to  his  banishment  to  the  remote 
oasis,  and  to  his  degradation  to  the  rank  of  captain  of 
a  miserable  maniple,  instead  of  his  obtaining  his  hoped 
for  promotion,  he  began  to  torment  her  systemati- 
cally while  she  tried  to  protect  herself  by  icy  coldness ; 
so  that  at  last  it  came  to  this,  that  the  husband,  for 
whom  she  felt  nothing  but  contempt,  had  no  more  in- 
fluence on  her  life,  than  some  physical  pain  which  a 
sick  man  is  doomed  to  endure  all  through  his  existence. 

In  his  presence  she  was  silent,  defiant,  and  repellent, 
but  as  soon  as  he  quitted  her,  her  innate,  warm-hearted 
kindliness  and  child-like  merriment  woke  up  to  new  life, 
and  their  fairest  blossoms  opened  out  in  the  senator's 
house  among  the  little  troop  who  amply  repaid  her  love 
with  theirs. 

Phcebicius  belonged  to  the  worshippers  of  Mithras, 
and  he  often  fasted  in  his  honor  to  the  point  of  exhaus- 
tion, while  on  the  other  hand  he  frequently  drank  with 
his  boon  companions,  at  the  feasts  of  the  god,  till  he 
was  in  a  state  of  insensibility. 

Here  even,  in  Mount  Sinai,  he  had  prepared  a  grotto 
for  the  feast  of  Mithras,  had  gathered  together  a  few 
companions  in  his  faith,  and  when  it  happened  that  he 


80  HOMO    SUM. 

remained  out  all  day  and  all  night,  and  came  home 
paler  even  than  usual,  she  well  knew  where  he  had  been. 

Just  now  she  vividly  pictured  to  herself  the  person 
of  this  man  with  his  eyes,  that  now  were  dull  with  sleep 
and  now  glowed  with  rage,  and-  she  asked  herself 
whether  it  were  indeed  possible  that  of  her  own  free 
will  she  had  chosen  to  become  his  wife.  Her  bosom 
heaved  with  quicker  breathing  as  she  remembered  the 
ignominy  he  had  subjected  her  to  in  Rome,  and  she 
clenched  her  small  hands.  At  this  instant  the  little  dog 
sprang  from  her  lap  and  flew  barking  to  the  window-sill; 
she  was  easily  startled,  and  she  drew  on  her  morning- 
gown,  which  had  slipped  from  her  white  shoulders; 
then  she  fastened  the  straps  of  her  sandals,  and  went  to 
look  down  into  the  court-yard. 

A  smile  played  upon  her  lips  as  she  perceived  young 
Hermas,  who  had  already  been  for'  some  time  leaning 
motionless  against  the  wall  of  the  house  opposite,  and 
devouring  with  his  gaze  the  figure  of  the  beautiful  young 
woman.  She  had  a  facile  and  volatile  nature.  Like 
the  eye  which  retains  no  impression  of  the  disabling 
darkness  so  soon  as  the  rays  of  light  have  fallen  on  it, 
no  gloom  of  suffering  touched  her  so  deeply  that  the 
lightest  breath  of  a  new  pleasure  could  not  blow  her 
troubles  to  the  winds.  Many  rivers  are  quite  different 
in  color  at  their  source  and  at  their  mouth,  and  so  it 
was  often  with  her  tears ;  she  began  to  weep  for  sorrow, 
and  then  found  it  difficult  to  dry  her  eyes  for  sheer 
overflow  of  mirth.  It  would  have  been  so  easy  for 
Phcebicius  to  make  her  lot  a  fair  one !  for  she  had  a 
most  susceptible  heart,  and  was  grateful  for  the  smallest 
proofs  of  love.  But  between  him  and  her  every  bond 
was  broken. 


HOMO    SUM.  8l 

The  form  and  face  of  Hermas  took  her  fancy ;  she 
thought  he  looked  of  noble  birth  in  spite  of  his  poor 
clothing,  and  when  she  observed  that  his  cheeks  were 
glowing,  and  that  the  hand  in  which  he  held  the  medi- 
cine phial  trembled,  she  understood  that  he  was  watch- 
ing her,  and  that  the  sight  of  her  had  stirred  his  youthful 
blood.  A  woman — still  more  a  woman  who  is  pleased 
to  please — forgives  any  sin  that  is  committed  for  her 
beauty's  sake,  and  Sirona's  voice  had  a  friendly  ring  in  it 
as  she  bid  Hermas  good-morning  and  asked  him  how 
his  father  was,  and  whether  the  senator's  medicine  had 
been  of  service.  The  youth's  answers  were  short  and 
confused,  but  his  looks  betrayed  that  he  would  fain  have 
said  quite  other  things  than  those  which  his  indocile 
tongue  allowed  him  to  reiterate  timidly. 

"  Dame  Dorothea  was  telling  me  last  evening,"  she 
said  kindly,  "  that  Petrus  had  every  hope  of  your  father's 
recovery,  but  that  he  is  still  very  weak.  Perhaps  some 
good  wine  would  be  of  service  to  him — not  to-day,  but 
to-morrow  or  the  day  after.  Only  come  to  me  if  you 
need  it ;  we  have  some  old  Falernian  in  the  loft,  and 
white  Mareotis  wine,  which  is  particularly  good  and 
wholesome." 

Hermas  thanked  her,  and  as  she  still  urged  him  to 
apply  to  her  in  all  confidence,  he  took  courage  and  suc- 
ceeded in  stammering  rather  than  saying,  "  You  are  as 
good  as  you  are  beautiful." 

The  words  were  hardly  spoken  when  the  topmost 
stone  of  an  elaborately  constructed  pile  near  the  slaves' 
house  fell  down  with  a  loud  clatter.  Sirona  started  and 
drew  back  from  the  window,  the  grey-hound  set  up  a 
loud  barking,  and  Hermas  struck  his  forehead  with  his 
hand  as  if  he  were  roused  from  a  dream. 


82  HOMO    SUM. 

In  a  few  instants  he  had  knocked  at  the  senator's 
door;  hardly  had  he  entered  the  house  when  Miriam's 
slight  form  passed  across  behind  the  pile  of  stones,  and 
vanished  swiftly  and  silently  into  the  slaves'  quarters. 
These  were  by  this  time  deserted  by  their  inhabitants, 
who  were  busy  in  the  field,  the  house,  or  the  quarries  ; 
they  consisted  of  a  few  ill-lighted  rooms  with  bare,  un- 
finished walls. 

The  shepherdess  went  into  the  smallest,  where,  on  a 
bed  of  palm-sticks,  lay  the  slave  that  she  had  wounded, 
and  who  turned  over  as  with  a  hasty  hand  she  promptly 
laid  a  fresh,  but  ill-folded  bandage,  all  askew  on  the  deep 
wound  in  his  head.  As  soon  as  this  task  was  fulfilled 
she  left  the  room  again,  placed  herself  behind  the  half 
open  door  which  led  into  the  court-yard,  and,  pressing 
her  brow  against  the  stone  door-post,  looked  first  at  the 
senator's  house,  and  then  at  Sirona's  window,  while  her 
breath  came  faster  and  faster. 

A  new  and  violent  emotion  was  stirring  her  young 
soul ;  not  many  minutes  since  she  had  squatted  peace- 
fully on  the  ground  by  the  side  of  the  wounded  man, 
with  her  head  resting  on  her  hand,  and  thinking  of  her 
goats  on  the  mountain.  Then  she  had  heard  a  slight 
sound  in  the  court,  which  any  one  else  would  not  have 
noticed ;  but  she  not  only  perceived  it,  but  knew  with 
perfect  certainty  with  whom  it  originated.  She  could 
never  fail  to  recognize  Hermas'  foot-step,  and  it  had  an 
irresistible  effect  upon  her.  She  raised  her  head  quickly 
from  her  hand,  and  her  elbow  from  the  knee  on  which  it 
was  resting,  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  went  out  into  the 
yard.  She  was  hidden  by  the  mill-stones,  but  she  could 
see  Hermas  lost  in  admiration.  She  followed  the  direc- 
tion of  his  eyes  and  saw  the  same  image  which  had  fas- 


HOMO    SUM.  83 

cinated  his  gaze — Sirona's  lovely  form,  flooded  with 
sunlight.  She  looked  as  if  formed  out  of  snow,  and 
roses,  and  gold,  like  the  angel  at  the  sepulchre  in  the 
new  picture  in  the  church.  Yes,  just  like  the  angel,  and 
the  thought  flew  through  her  mind  how  brown  and 
"black  she  was  herself,  and  that  he  had  called  her  a  she- 
devil.  A  sense  of  deep  pain  came  over  her,  she  felt  as 
though  paralyzed  in  body  and  soul ;  but  soon  she  shook 
or!  the  spell,  and  her  heart  began  to  beat  violently ;  she 
had  to  bite  her  lip  hard  with  her  white  teeth  to  keep 
herself  from  crying  out  with  rage  and  anguish. 

How  she  wished  that  she  could  swing  herself  up  to 
the  window  on  which  Hermas'  gaze  was  fixed,  and 
clutch  Sirona's  golden  hair  and  tear  her  down  to  the 
ground,  and  suck  the  very  blood  from  her  red  lips  like 
a  vampire,  till  she  lay  at  her  feet  as  pale  as  the  corpse 
of  a  man  dead  of  thirst  in  the  desert.  Then  she  saw 
the  light  mantle  slip  from  Sirona's  shoulders,  and  ob- 
served Hermas  start  and  press  his  hand  to  his  heart. 

Then  another  impulse  seized  her.  It  was  to  call  to 
her  and  warn  her  of  his  presence ;  for  even  women  who 
hate  each  other  hold  out  the  hand  of  fellowship  in  the 
spirit,  when  the  sanctity  of  woman's  modesty  is  threat- 
ened with  danger.  She  blushed  for  Sirona,  and  had  ac- 
tually opened  her  lips  to  call,  when  the  greyhound 
barked  and  the  dialogue  began.  Not  a  word  escaped 
her  sharp  ears,  and  when  he  told  Sirona  that  she  was  as 
good  as  she  was  beautiful  she  felt  seized  with  giddiness ; 
then  the  topmost  stone,  by  which  she  had  tried  to  steady 
herself,  lost  its  balance,  its  fall  interrupted  their  conver- 
sation, and  Miriam  returned  to  the  sick  man. 

Now  she  was  standing  at  the  door,  waiting  for 
Hermas.    Long,  long  did  she  wait;  at  last  he  appeared 


84  HOMO    SUM. 

with  Dorothea,  and  she  could  see  that  he  glanced  up 
again  at  Sirona;  but  a  spiteful  smile  passed  over  her 
lips,  for  the  window  was  empty  and  the  fair  form  that 
he  had  hoped  to  see  again  had  vanished. 

Sirona  was  now  sitting  at  her  loom  in  the  front- 
room,  whither  she  had  been  tempted  by  the  sound  of 
approaching  hoofs.  Polykarp  had  ridden  by  on  his 
father's  fine  horse,  had  greeted  her  as  he  passed,  and 
had  dropped  a  rose  on  the  roadway.  Half  an  hour 
later  the  old  black  slave  came  to  Sirona,  who  was 
throwing  the  shuttle  through  the  warp  with  a  skilful 
hand. 

"  Mistress,"  cried  the  negress  with  a  hideous  grin ; 
the  lonely  woman  paused  in  her  work,  and  as  she  looked 
up  enquiringly  the  old  woman  gave  her  a  rose.  Sirona 
took  the  flower,  blew  away  the  road-side  dust  that  had 
clung  to  it,  rearranged  the  tumbled  delicate  petals  with 
her  finger-tips,  and  said,  while  she  seemed  to  give  the 
best  part  of  her  attention  to  this  occupation,  "  For  the 
future  let  roses  lie  when  you  find  them.  You  know 
Phcebicius,  and  if  any  one  sees  it,  it  will  be  talked 
about." 

The  black  woman  turned  away,  shrugging  her 
shoulders;  but  Sirona  thought,  "Polykarp  is  a  hand- 
some and  charming  man,  and  has  finer  and  more  ex- 
pressive eyes  than  any  other  here,  if  he  were  not  always 
talking  of  his  plans,  and  drawings,  and  figures,  and 
mere  stupid  grave  things  that  I  do  not  care  for ! " 


HOMO    SUM.  85 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  next  day,  after  the  sun  had  passed  the  meridian 
and  it  was  beginning  to  grow  cool,  Hermas  and  Paulus 
yielded  to  Stephanus'  wish,  as  he  began  to  feel  stronger, 
and  carried  him  out  into  the  air.  The  anchorites  sat 
near  each  other  on  a  low  block  of  stone,  which  Hermas 
had  made  into  a  soft  couch  for  his  father  by  heaping 
up  a  high  pile  of  fresh  herbs.  They  looked  after  the 
youth,  who  had  taken  his  bow  and  arrows,  as  he  went 
up  the  mountain  to  hunt  a  wild  goat ;  for  Petrus  had 
prescribed  a  strengthening  diet  for  the  sick  man.  Not 
a  word  was  spoken  by  either  of  them  till  the  hunter  had 
disappeared.  Then  Stephanus  said,  "  How  much  he 
has  altered  since  I  have  been  ill.  It  is  not  so  very 
long  since  I  last  saw  him  by  the  broad  light  of  day,  and 
he  seems  meantime  to  have  grown  from  a  boy  into 
a  man.     How  self-possessed  his  gait  is." 

Paulus,  looking  down  at  the  ground,  muttered  some 
words  of  assent.  He  remembered  the  discus-throwing 
and  thought  to  himself,  "  The  Palaestra  certainly  sticks 
in  his  mind,  and  he  has  been  bathing  too ;  and  yester- 
day, when  he  came  up  from  the  oasis,  he  strode  in  like 
a  young  athlete." 

That  friendship  only  is  indeed  genuine  when  two 
friends,  without  speaking  a  word  to  each  other,  can 
nevertheless  find  happiness  in  being  together.  Stephr 
anus  and  Paulus  were  silent,  and  yet  a  tacit  intercourse 
subsisted  between  them  as  they  sat  gazing  towards  the 
west,  where  the  sun  was  near  its  setting. 


86  HOMO    SUM. 

Far  below  them  gleamed  the  narrow,  dark  blue- 
green  streak  of  the  Red  Sea,  bounded  by  the  bare  moun- 
tains of  the  coast,  which  shone  in  a  shimmer  of  golden 
light.  Close  beside  them  rose  the  toothed  crown  of  the 
great  mountain  which,  so  soon  as  the  day-star  had  sunk 
behind  it,  appeared  edged  with  a  riband  of  glowing 
rubies.  The  flaming  glow  flooded  the  western  horizon, 
filmy  veils  of  mist  floated  across  the  hilly  coast-line,  the 
silver  clouds  against  the  pure  sky  changed  their  hue  to 
the  tender  blush  of  a  newly  opened  rose,  and  the  un- 
dulating shore  floated  in  the  translucent  violet  of  the 
amethyst.  There  not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring,  not  a 
sound  broke  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  evening.  Not 
till  the  sea  was  taking  a  darker  and  still  darker  hue,  till 
the  glow  on  the  mountain  peaks  and  in  the  west  had 
begun  to  die  away,  and  the  night  to  spread  its  shades 
over  the  heights  and  hollows,  did  Stephanus  unclasp  his 
folded  hands  and  softly  speak  his  companion's  name. 
Paulus  started  and  said,  speaking  like  a  man  who  is 
aroused  from  a  dream  and  who  is  suddenly  conscious 
of  having  heard  some  one  speak,  "You  are  right;  it  is 
growing  dark  and  cool  and  you  must  go  back  into  the 
cave." 

Stephanus  offered  no  opposition  and  let  himself  be 
led  back  to  his  bed ;  while  Paulus  was  spreading  the 
sheepskin  over  the  sick  man  he  sighed  deeply. 

"  What  disturbs  your  soul  ?  "  asked  the  older  man. 

"  It  is — it  was — what  good  can  it  do  me !  "  cried 
Paulus  in  strong  excitement.  "  There  we  sat,  witnesses 
of  the  most  glorious  marvels  of  the  Most  High,  and  I, 
in  shameless  idolatry,  seemed  to  see  before  me  the 
chariot  of  Helios  with  its  glorious  winged-horses,  snort- 
ing fire  as  they  went,  and  Helios  himself  in  the  guise  of 


HOMO    SUM.  87 

Hermas,  with  gleaming  golden  hair,  and  the  dancing 
Hours,  and  the  golden  gates  of  the  night.  Accursed 
rabble  of  demons ! — " 

At  this  point  the  anchorite  was  interrupted,  for  Her- 
mas entered  the  cave,  and  laying  a  young  steinbock, 
that  he  had  killed,  before  the  two  men,  exclaimed,  "  A 
fine  fellow,  and  he  cost  me  no  more  than  one  arrow. 
I  will  light  a  fire  at  once  and  roast  the  best  pieces. 
There  are  plenty  of  bucks  still  on  our  mountain,  and  I 
know  where  to  find  them." 

In  about  an  hour,  father  and  son  were  eating  the 
pieces  of  meat,  which  had  been  cooked  on  a  spit.  Pau- 
lus  declined  to  sup  with  them,  for  after  he  had  scourged 
himself  in  despair  and  remorse  for  the  throwing  of  the 
discus,  he  had  vowed  a  strict  fast. 

"  And  now,"  cried  Hermas,  when  his  father  declared 
himself  satisfied,  after  seeming  to  relish  greatly  the  strong 
meat  from  which  he  had  so  long  abstained,  "  and  now 
the  best  is  to  come!  In  this  flask  I  have  some  strength- 
ening wine,  and  when  it  is  empty  it  will  be  filled  afresh." 

Stephanus  took  the  wooden  beaker  that  his  son 
offered  him,  drank  a  little,  and  then  said,  while  he 
smacked  his  tongue  to  relish  the  after-taste  of  the  noble 
juice,  "  That  is  something  choice ! — Syrian  wine !  only 
taste  it,  Paulus." 

Paulus  took  the  beaker  in  his  hand,  inhaled  the 
fragrance  of  the  golden  fluid,  and  then  murmured,  but 
without  putting  it  to  his  lips,  "That  is  not  Syrian;  it  is 
Egyptian,  I  know  it  well.  I  should  take  it  to  be 
Mareotic."   ' 

"  So  Sirona  called  it,"  cried  Hermas,  "  and  you  know 
it  by  the  mere  smell !  She  said  it  was  particularly  good 
for  the  sick." 


88  HOMO    SUM. 

"That  it  is,"  Paulus  agreed;  but  Stephanus  asked 
in  surprise,  "  Sirona  ?  who  is  she  ?  " 

The  cave  was  but  dimly  lighted  by  the  fire  that  had 
been  made  at  the  opening,  so  that  the  two  anchorites 
could  not  perceive  that  Hermas  reddened  all  over  as  he 
replied,  "Sirona?  The  Gaulish  woman  Sirona?  Do 
you  not  know  her  ?  She  is  the  wife  of  the  centurion 
down  in  the  oasis." 

"  How  do  you  come  to  know  her  ? "  asked  his 
father. 

"  She  lives  in  Petrus'  house,"  replied  the  lad,  "  and 
as  she  had  heard  of  your  wound — " 

"  Take  her  my  thanks  when  you  go  there  to-morrow 
morning,"  said  Stephanus.  "  To  her  and  to  her  hus- 
band too.     Is  he  a  Gaul  ?  " 

"  I  believe  so — nay,  certainly,"  answered  Hermas, 
"  they  call  him  the  lion,  and  he  is  no  doubt  a  Gaul  ?  " 

When  the  lad  had  left  the  cave  the  old  man  laid 
himself  down  to  rest,  and  Paulus  kept  watch  by  him  on 
his  son's  bed.  But  Stephanus  could  not  sleep,  and  when 
his  friend  approached  him  to  give  him  some  medicine, 
he  said,  "  The  wife  of  a  Gaul  has  done  me  a  kindness, 
and  yet  the  wine  would  have  pleased  me  better  if  it  had 
not  come  from  a  Gaul." 

Paulus  looked  at  him  enquiringly,  and  though  total 
darkness  reigned  in  the  cave,  Stephanus  felt  his  gaze 
and  said,  "  I  owe  no  man  a  grudge  and  I  love  my  neigh- 
bor. Great  injuries  have  been  done  me,  but  I  have  for- 
given— from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  forgiven.  Only 
one  man  lives  to  whom  I  wish  evil,  and  he  is  a  Gaul.'' 

"Forgive  him  too,"  said  Paulus,  "and  do  not  let 
evil  thoughts  disturb  your  sleep." 

"I  am  not  tired,"  said  the  sick  man,  "and  if  you 


HOMO    SUM.  89 

had  gone  through  such  things  as  I  have,  it  would 
trouble  your  rest  at  night  too." 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  said  Paulus  soothingly.  "  It 
was  a  Gaul  that  persuaded  your  wretched  wife  into 
quitting  your  house  and  her  child." 

"And  I  loved,  oh!  how  I  loved  Glycera!  "  groaned 
the  old  man.  "  She  lived  like  a  princess  and  I  ful- 
filled her  every  wish  before  it  was  uttered.  She  her- 
self has  said  a  hundred  times  that  I  was  too  kind  and 
too  yielding,  and  that  there  was  nothing  left  for  her  to 
wish.  Then  the  Gaul  came  to  our  house,  a  man  as 
acrid  as  sour  wine,  but  with  a  fluent  tongue  and  spark- 
ling eyes.  How  he  entangled  Glycera  I  know  not, 
nor  do  I  want  to  know ;  he  shall  atone  for  it  in  hell. 
For  the  poor  lost  woman  I  pray  day  and  night.  A 
spell  was  on  her,  and  she  left  her  heart  behind  in  my 
house,  for  her  child  was  there  and  she  loved  Hermas  so 
fondly ;  indeed  she  was  deeply  devoted  to  me.  Think 
what  the  spell  must  be  that  can  annihilate  a  mother's 
love !  Wretch,  hapless  wretch  that  I  am !  Did  you 
ever  love  a  woman,  Paulus  ?  " 

"  You  ought  to  be  asleep,"  said  Paulus  in  a  warning 
tone.  "  Who  ever  lived  nearly  half  a  century  without 
feeling  love  !  Now  I  will  not  speak  another  word,  and 
you  must  take  this  drink  that  Petrus  has  sent  for  you." 
The  senator's  medicine  was  potent,  for  the  sick  man 
fell  asleep  and  did  not  wake  till  broad  day  lighted  up 
the  cave. 

Paulus  was  still  sitting  on  his  bed,  and  after  they 
had  prayed  together,  he  gave  him  the  jar  which  Her- 
mas had  filled  with  fresh  water  before  going  down  to 
the  oasis. 

"  I  feel   quite   strong,"    said    the    old    man.     "  The 


90  HOMO    SUM. 

medicine  is  good;    I  have   slept   well   and   dreamed 
sweetly;  but  you  look  pale  and  as  if  you  had  not  slept." 

"  I,"  said  Paulus,  "  I  lay  down  there  on  the  bed. 
Now  let  me  go  out  in  the  air  for  a  moment."  With 
these  words  he  went  out  of  the  cave. 

As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  of  Stephanus  he 
drew  a  deep  breath,  stretched  his  limbs,  and  rubbed  his 
burning  eyes;  he  felt  as  if  there  was  sand  gathered 
under  their  lids,  for  he  had  forbidden  them  to  close  for 
three  days  and  nights.  At  the  same  time  he  was  con- 
sumed by  a  violent  thirst,  for  neither  food,  nor  drink 
had  touched  his  lips  for  the  same  length  of  time.  His 
hands  were  beginning  to  tremble,  but  •  the  weakness 
and  pain  that  he  experienced  filled  him  with  silent  joy, 
and  he  would  willingly  have  retired  into  his  cave  and 
have  indulged,  not  for  the  first  time,  in  the  ecstatic 
pain  of  hanging  on  the  cross,  and  bleeding  from  five 
wounds,  in  imitation  of  the  Saviour. 

But  Stephanus  was  calling  him,  and  without  hesita- 
tion he  returned  to  him  and  replied  to  his  questions ; 
indeed  it  was  easier  to  him  to  speak  than  to  listen,  for 
in  his  ears  there  was  a  roaring,  moaning,  singing,  and 
piping,  and  he  felt  as  if  drunk  with  strong  wine. 

"  If  only  Hermas  does  not  forget  to  thank  the  Gaul !" 
exclaimed  Stephanus. 

"  Thank — aye,  we  should  always  be  thankful ! "  re- 
plied his  companion,  closing  his  eyes. 

"  I  dreamed  of  Glycera,"  the  old  man  began  again. 
"  You  said  yesterday  that  love  had  stirred  your  heart 
too,  and  yet  you  never  were  married.  You  are  silent  ? 
Answer  me  something."  _ 

«  I — who  called  me  ?  "  murmured  Paulus,  staring  at 
the  questioner  with  a  fixed  gaze. 


HOMO    SUM.  91 

Stephanus  was  startled  to  see  that  his  companion 
trembled  in  every  limb,  he  raised  himself  and  held  out 
to  him  the  flask  with  Sirona's  wine,  which  the  other, 
incapable  of  controlling  himself,  snatched  eagerly  from 
his  hand,  and  emptied  with  frantic  thirst.  The  fiery 
liquor  revived  his  failing  strength,  brought  the  color  to 
his  cheeks,  and  lent  a  strajige  lustre  to  his  eyes.  "  How 
much  good  that  has  done  me!"  he  cried  with  a  deep 
sigh  and  pressing  his  hands  on  his  breast. 

Stephanus  was  perfectly  reassured  and  repeated  his 
question,  but  he  almost  repented  of  his  curiosity,  for 
his  friend's  voice  had  an  utterly  strange  ring  in  it,  as  he 
answered : 

"No,  I  was  never  married — never,  but  I  have  loved 
for  all  that,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  story  from  beginning 
to  end  j  but  you  must  not  interrupt  me,  no  not  once. 
I  am  in  a  strange  mood — perhaps  it  is  the  wine.  I  had 
not  drunk  any  for  so  long ;  I  had  fasted  since — since — 
but  it  does  not  matter.  Be  silent,  quite  silent,  and  let 
me  tell  my  story." 

Paulus  sat  down  on  Hennas'  bed ;  he  threw  himself 
far  back,  leaned  the  back  of  his  head  against  the  rocky 
wall  of  the  cavern,  through  whose  doorway  the  day- 
light poured,  and  began  thus,  while  he  gazed  fixedly 
into  vacancy,  "What  she  was  like? — who  can  de- 
scribe her  ?  She  was  tall  and  large  like  Hera,  and  yet 
not  proud,  and  her  noble  Greek  face  was  lovely  rather 
than  handsome. 

"  She  could  no  longer  have  been  very  young,  but 
she  had  eyes  like  those  of  a  gentle  child.  I  never  knew 
her  other  than  very  pale ;  her  narrow  forehead  shone 
like  ivory  under  her  soft  brown  hair;  her  beautiful 
hands  were  as  white  as  her  forehead — hands  that  moved 


"92  HOMO    SUM. 

as  if  they  themselves  were  living  and  inspired  creatures 
with  a  soul  and  language  of  their  own.  When  she 
folded  them  devoutly  together  it  seemed  as  if  they 
were  putting  up  a  mute  prayer.  She  was  pliant  in  form 
as  a  young  palm-tree  when  it  bends,  and  withal  she  had 
a  noble  dignity,  even  on  the  occasion  when  I  first  saw 
her. 

"  It  was  a  hideous  spot,  the  revolting  prison-hall  of 
Rhyakotis.  She  wore  only  a  threadbare  robe  that  had 
once  been  costly,  and  a  foul  old  woman  followed  her 
about — as  a  greedy  rat  might  pursue  an  imprisoned 
dove — and  loaded  her  with  abusive  language.  She  an- 
swered not  a  word,  but  large  heavy  tears  flowed  slowly 
over  her  pale  cheeks  and  down  on  to  her  hands,  which 
she  kept  crossed  on  her  bosom.  Grief  and  anguish 
spoke  from  her  eyes,  but  no  vehement  passion  deformed 
the  regularity  of  her  features.  She  knew  how  to  endure 
^ven  ignominy  with  grace,  and  what  words  the  raging 
old  woman  poured  out  upon  her ! 

"  I  had  long  since  been  baptized,  and  all  the  prisons 
were  open  to  me,  the  rich  Menander,  the  brother-in-law 
of  the  prefect — those  prisons  in  which  under  Maximin 
so  many  Christians  were  destined  to  be  turned  from  the 
true  faith. 

"  But  she  did  not  belong  to  us.  Her  eye  met  mine, 
and  I  signed  my  forehead  with  the  cross,  but  she  did 
not  respond  to  the  sacred  sign.  The  guards  led  away 
the  old  woman,  and  she  drew  back  into  a  dark  corner, 
sat  down,  and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  A 
wondrous  sympathy  for  the  hapless  woman  had  taken 
possession  of  my  soul ;  I  felt  as  if  she  belonged  to  me, 
and  I  to  her,  and  I  believed  in  her,  even  when  the 
turnkey  had  told  me  in  coarse  language  that  she  had 


HOMO    SUM.  93 

lived  with  a  Roman  at  the  old  woman's,  and  had  de- 
frauded her  of  a. large  sum  of  money.  The  next  day  I 
went  again  to  the  prison,  for  her  sake  and  my  own ; 
there  I  found  her  again  in  the  same  corner  that  she 
had  shrunk  into  the  day  before ;  by  her  stood  her  prison 
fare  untouched,  a  jar  of  water  and  a  piece  of  bread. 

"  As  I  went  up  to  her,  I  saw  how  she  broke  a  small 
bit  off  the  thin  cake  for  herself,  and  then  called  a  little 
Christian  boy  who  had  come  into  the  prison  with  his 
mother,  and  gave  him  the  remainder.  The  child 
thanked  her  prettily,  and  she  drew  him  to  her,  and 
kissed  him  with  passionate  tenderness,  though  he  was 
sickly  and  ugly. 

" '  No  one  who  can  love  children  so  well  is  wholly 
lost,'  said  I  to  myself,  and  I  offered  to  help  her  as  far 
as  lay  in  my  power. 

"  She  looked  at  me  not  without  distrust,  and  said 
that  nothing  had  happened  to  her,  but  what  she  de- 
served, and  she  would  bear  it.  Before  I  could  enquire 
of  her  any  further,  we  were  interrupted  by  the  Christian 
prisoners,  who  crowded  around  the  worthy  Ammonius, 
who  was  exhorting  and  comforting  them  with  edifying 
discourse.  She  listened  attentively  to  the  old  man,  and 
on  the  following  day  I  found  her  in  conversation  with 
the  mother  of  the  boy  to  whom  she  had  given  her 
bread. 

"  One  morning,  I  had  gone  there  with  some  fruit  to 
offer  as  a  treat  to  the  prisoners,  and  particularly  to  her. 
She  took  an  apple,  and  said,  rising  as  she  spoke,  '  I 
would  now  ask  another  favor  of  you.  You  are  a  Chris- 
tian, send  me  a  priest,  that  he  may  baptize  me,  if  he 
does  not  think  me  unworthy,  for  I  am  burdened  with 
sins  so  heavily  as  no  other  woman  can  be.'    Her  large, 


•94  HOMO    SUM. 

sweet,  childlike  eyes  filled  again  with  big  silent  tears, 
and  I  spoke  to  her,  from  my  heart,  and  showed  her  as 
well  as  I  could  the  grace  of  the  Redeemer.  Shortly 
after,  Ammonius  secretly  baptized  her,  and  she  begged 
to  be  given  the  name  of  Magdalen,  and  so  it  was,  and 
after  that  she  took  me  wholly  into  her  confidence. 

"  She  had  left  her  husband  and  her  child  for  the 
sake  of  a  diabolical  seducer,  whom  she  had  followed  to 
Alexandria,  and  who  there  had  abandoned  her.  Alone 
and  friendless,  in  want  and  guilt,  she  remained  behind 
with  a  hard-hearted  and  covetous  hostess,  who  had 
brought  her  before  the  judge,  and  so  into  prison.  What 
an  abyss  of  the  deepest  anguish  of  soul  I  could  dis- 
cover in  this  woman,  who  was  worthy  of  a  better  lot ! 
What  is  highest  and  best  in  a  woman  ?  Her  love,  her 
mother's  heart,  her  honor ;  and  Magdalen  had  squan- 
dered and  ruined  all  these  by  her  own  guilt.  The  blow 
of  overwhelming  fate  may  be  easily  borne,  but  woe  to 
him,  whose  life  is  ruined  by  his  own  sin !  She  was  a 
sinner,  she  felt  it  with  anguish  of  repentance,  and  she 
.steadily  refused  my  offers  to  purchase  her  freedom. 

"  She  was  greedy  of  punishment,  as  a  man  in  a 
fever  is  greedy  of  the  bitter  potion,  which  cools  his 
blood.  And,  by  the  crucified  Lord!  I  have  found 
more  noble  humanity  among  sinners,  than  in  many  just 
men  in  priestly  garb.  Through  the  presence  of  Mag- 
dalen, the  prison  recovered  its  sanctity  in  my  eyes.  Be- 
fore this  I  had  frequently  quitted  it  full  of  deep  con- 
tempt, for  among  the  imprisoned  Christians,  there  were 
too  often  lazy  vagabonds,  who  had  loudly  confessed  the 
Saviour  only  to  be  fed  by  the  gifts  of  the  brethren ; 
there  I  had  seen  accursed  criminals,  who  hoped  by  a 
martyr's  death  to  win  back  the  redemption  that  they 


HOMO    SUM.  95 

had  forfeited;  there  I  had  heard  the  woeful  cries  of  the 
faint-hearted,  who  feared  death  as  much  as  they  feared 
treason  to  the  most  High.  There  were  things  to  be  seen 
there  that  might  harrow  the  soul,  but  also  examples  of 
the  sublimest  greatness.  Men  have  I  seen  there,  aye, 
and  women,  who  went  to  their  death  in  calm  and  silent 
bliss,  and  whose  end  was,  indeed,  noble — more  noble 
than  that  of  the  much-lauded  Codrus  or  Decius   Mus. 

"Among  all  the  prisoners  there  was  neither  man 
nor  woman  who  was  more  calmly  self-possessed,  more 
devoutly  resigned,  than  Magdalen.  The  words,  '  There 
is  more  joy  in  Heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth 
than  over  ninety  and  nine  that  need  no  repentance,' 
strengthened  her  greatly,  and  she  repented — yea  and 
verily,  she  did.  And  for  my  part,  God  is  my  witness 
that  not  an  impulse  as  from  man  to  woman  drew  me  to 
her,  and  yet  I  could  not  leave  her,  and  I  passed  the 
day  by  her  side,  and  at  night  she  haunted  my  soul,  and 
it  would  have  seemed  to  me  fairer  than  all  in  life 
besides  to  have  been  allowed  to  die  with  her. 

"  It  was  at  the  time  of  the  fourth  decree  of  persecu- 
tion, a  few  months  before  the  promulgation  of  the  first 
edict  of  toleration. 

"  He  that  sacrifices,  it  is  said,  shall  go  unpunished, 
and  he  that  refuses,  shall  by  some  means  or  other  be 
brought  to  it,  but  those  who  continue  stiff-necked  shall 
suffer  death.  For  a  long  time  much  consideration  had 
been  shown  to  the  prisoners,  but  now  they  were 
alarmed  by  having  the  edict  read  to  them  anew. 
Many  hid  themselves  groaning  and  lamenting,  others 
prayed  aloud,  and  most  awaited  what  might  happen 
with  pale  lips  and  painful  breathing. 

"  Magdalen  remained  perfectly  calm.    The  names  of 


96  HOMO    SUM. 

the  Christian  prisoners  were  called  out,  and  the  impe- 
rial soldiers  led  them,  all  together  to  one  spot.  Neither 
my  name  nor  hers  was  called,  for  I  did  not  belong  to 
the  prisoners,  and  she  had  not  been  apprehended  for 
the  faith's  sake.  The  officer  was  rolling  up  his  list, 
when  Magdalen  rose  and  stepped  modestly  forward, 
saying  with  quiet  dignity,  '  I  too  am  a  Christian.' 

"  If  there  be  an  angel  who  wears  the  form  and  fea- 
tures of  man,  his  face  must  resemble  hers,  as  she 
looked  in  that  hour.  The  Roman,  a  worthy  man, 
looked  at  her  with  a  benevolent,  but  searching  gaze. 
1 1  do  not  find  your  name  here,'  he  said  aloud,  shaking 
his  head  and  pointing  to  the  roll ;  and  he  added  in  a 
lower  voice,  '  Nor  do  I  intend  to  find^it.' 

"  She  went  closer  up  to  him,  and  said  out  loud, 
*  Grant  me  my  place  among  the  believers,  and  write 
down,  that  Magdalen,  the  Christian,  refuses  to  sac- 
rifice.' 

"  My  soul  was  deeply  moved,  and  with  joyful  eager- 
ness I  cried  out,  'Put  down  my  name  too,  and  write, 
that  Menander,  the  son  of  Herophilus,  also  refuses.' 
The  Roman  did  his  duty. 

"Time  has  not  blotted  out  from  my  memory  a 
single  moment  of  that  day.  There  stood  the  altar,  and 
near  it  the  heathen,  priest  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other 
the  emperor's  officer.  We  were  taken  up  two  by  two ; ' 
Magdalen  and  I  were  the  last.  One  word  now — one 
little  word — would  give  us  life  and  freedom,  another 
the  rack  and  death.  Out  of  thirty  of  us  only  four  had 
found  courage  to  refuse  to  sacrifice,  but  the  feeble 
hearted  broke  out  into  lamentations,  and  beat  their 
foreheads,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  might  strengthen 
the  courage  of  the  others.     An  unutterably  pure  and 


HOMO    SUM.  97 

lofty  joy  filled  my  soul,  and  I  felt,  as  if  we  were  out  of 
the  body  floating  on  ambient  clouds.  Softly  and  calmly 
we  refused  to  sacrifice,  thanked  the  imperial  official, 
who  warned  us  kindly,  and  in  the  same  hour  and  place 
we  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  torturers.  She  gazed  only 
up  to  heaven,  and  I  only  at  her,  but  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  frightful  torments  I  saw  before  me  the  Saviour 
beckoning  to  me,  surrounded  by  angels  that  soared  on 
soft  airs,  whose  presence  filled  my  eyes  with  the  purest 
light,  and  my  ears  with  heavenly  music.  She  bore  the 
utmost  torture  without  flinching,  only  once  she  called 
out  the  name  of  her  son  Hermas;  then  I  turned  to 
look  at  her,  and  saw  her  gazing  up  to  Heaven  with 
wide  open  eyes  and  trembling  4ips — living,  but  already 
with  the  Lord — on  the  rack,  and  yet  in  bliss.  My 
stronger  body  clung  to  the  earth  j  she  found  deliver- 
ance at  the  first  blow  of  the  torturer. 

"  I  myself  closed  her  eyes,  the  sweetest  eyes  in 
which  Heaven  was  ever  mirrored,  I  drew  a  ring  from 
her  dear,  white,  blood-stained  hand,  and  here  under  the 
rough  sheepskin  I  have  it  yet;  and  I  pray,  I  pray,  I 
pray — oh !  my  heart !  My  God  if  it  might  be — if  this  is 
the  end—!" 

Paulus  put  his  hand  to  his  head,  and  sank  exhausted 
on  the  bed,  in  a  deep  swoon.  The  sick  man  had  fol- 
lowed his  story  with  breathless  interest.  Some  time 
since  he  had  risen  from  his  bed,  and,  unobserved  by  his 
companion,  had  sunk  on  his  knees ;  he  now  dragged 
himself,  all  hot  and  trembling,  to  the  side  of  the  sense- 
less man,  tore  the  sheep's  fell  from  his  breast,  and  with 
hasty  movement  sought  the  ring;  he  found  it,  and 
fixing  on  it  passionate  eyes,  as  though  he  would  melt  it 
with  their  fire,  he  pressed  it  again  and  again  to  his  lips, 


Qo  HOMO    SUM. 

to  his  heart,  to  his  lips  again ;   buried  his  face  in  his 
hands  and  wept  bitterly. 

It  was  not  till  Hernias  returned  from  the  oasis  that 
Stephanus  thought  of  his  exhausted  and  fainting  friend, 
and  with  his  son's  assistance  restored  him  to  conscious- 
ness. Paulus  did  not  refuse  to  take  some  food  and 
drink,  and  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  when  he  was 
refreshed  and  invigorated,  he  sat  again  by  the  side  of 
Stephanus,  and  understood  from  the  old  man  that 
Magdalen  was  certainly  his  wife. 

"  Now  I  know,"  said  Paulus,  pointing  to  Hermas, 
"  how  it  is  that  from  the  first  I  felt  such  a  love  for  the 
lad  there." 

The  old  man  softly  pressed  his  hand,  for  he  felt  him- 
self tied  to  his  friend  by  a  new  and  tender  bond,  and  it 
was  with  silent  ecstasy  that  he  received  the  assurance 
that  the  wife  he  had  always  loved,  the  mother  of  his 
child,  had  died  a  Christian  and  a  martyr,  and  had  found 
before  him  the  road  to  Heaven. 

The  old  man  slept  as  peacefully  as  a  child  the  fol- 
lowing night,  and  when,  next  morning,  messengers 
came  from  Ra'ithu  to  propose  to  Paulus  that  he  should 
leave  the  Holy  Mountain,  and  go  with  them  to  become 
their  elder  and  ruler,  Stephanus  said,  "  Follow  this 
high  call  with  all  confidence,  for  you  deserve  it.  I 
really  no  longer  have  need  of  you,  for  I  shall  get  well 
now  without  any  further  nursing." 

But  Paulus,  far  more  disturbed  than  rejoiced,  begged 
of  the  messengers  a  delay  of  seven  days  for  reflection, 
and  after  wandering  restlessly  from  one  holy  spot  to 
another,  at  last  went  down  into  the  oasis,  there  to  pray 
in  the  church. 


HOMO    SUM.  99 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


It  was  a  delicious  refreshing  evening;  the  full  moon 
rose  calmly  in  the  dark  blue  vault  of  the  night-sky,  and 
poured  a  flood  of  light  down  on  the  cool  earth.  But 
its  rays  did  not  give  a  strong  enough  light  to  pierce  the 
misty  veil  that  hung  over  the  giant  mass  of  the  Holy 
Mountain ;  the  city  of  the  oasis  on  the  contrary  was 
fully  illuminated ;  the  broad  roadway  of  the  high-street 
looked  to  the  wanderer  who  descended  from  the  height 
above  like  a  shining  path  of  white  marble,  and  the 
freshly  plastered  walls  of  the  new  church  gleamed  as 
white  as  in  the  light  of  day.  The  shadows  of  the 
houses  and  palm-trees  lay  like  dark  strips  of  carpet 
across  the  road,  which  was  nearly  empty  in  spite  of  the 
evening  coolness,  which  usually  tempted  the  citizens 
out  into  the  air. 

The  voices  of  men  and  women  sounded  out 
through  the  open  windows  of  the  church;  then  the 
door  opened  and  the  Pharanite  Christians,  who  had 
been  partaking  of  the  Supper — the  bread  and  the  cup 
passed  from  hand  to  hand — came  out  into  the  moon- 
light. The  elders  and  deacons,  the  readers  and  singers, 
the  acolytes  and  the  assembled  priesthood  of  the  place 
followed  the  Bishop  Agapitus,  and  the  laymen  came 
behind  Obedianus,  the  head-man  of  the  oasis,  and  the 
Senator  Petrus ;  with  Petrus  came  his  wife,  his  grown 
up  children  and  numerous  slaves. 

The  church  was  empty  when  the  door-keeper,  who 
was  extinguishing  the  lights,  observed  a  man  in  a  dark 


IOO  HOMO    SUM. 

corner  of  an  antechamber  through  which  a  spring  of 
water  softly  plashed  and  trickled,  and  which  was  in- 
tended for  penitents.  The  man  was  prostrate  on  the 
ground  and  absorbed  in  prayer,  and  he  did  not  raise 
himself  till  the  porter  called  him,  and  threw  the  light 
of  his  little  lamp  full  in  his  face. 

He  began  to  address  him  with  hard  words,  but 
when  he  recognized  in  the  belated  worshipper  the 
anchorite  Paulus  of  Alexandria  he  changed  his  key,  and 
said,  in  a  soft  and  almost  submissive  tone  of  entreaty, 
"  You  have  surely  prayed  enough,  pious  man.  The 
congregation  have  left  the  church,  and  I  must  close  it 
on  account  of  our  beautiful  new  vessels  and  the  heathen 
robbers.  I  know  that  the  brethren  of  Raithu  have 
chosen  you  to  be  their  elder,  and  that  his  high  honor 
was  announced  to  you  by  their  messengers,  for  they 
came  to  see  our  church  too  and  greatly  admired  it. 
Are  you  going  at  once  to  settle  with  them  or  shall  you 
keep  the  high-feast  with  us  ?" 

"  That  you  shall  hear  to-morrow,"  answered  Paulus, 
who  had  risen  from  his  knees,  and  was  leaning  against 
a  pillar  of  the  narrow,  bare,  penitential  chamber.  "  In 
this  house  dwells  One  of  whom  I  would  fain  take  coun- 
sel, and  I  beg  of  you  to  leave  me  here  alone.  If  you 
will,  you  can  lock  the  door,  and  fetch  me  out  later, 
before  you  go  to  rest  for  the  night." 

"  That  cannot  be,"  said  the  man  considering,  "  for 
my  wife  is  ill,  and  my  house  is  a  long  way  from  here  at 
the  end  of  the  town  by  the  little  gate,  and  I  must  take 
the  key  this  very  evening  to  the  Senator  Petrus,  because 
his  son,  the  architect  Antonius,  wants  to  begin  the  build- 
ing of  the  new  altar  the  first  thing  to-morrow  morning. 
The  workmen  are  to  be  here  by  sunrise,  and  if — " 


HOMO    SUM.  IOI 

"  Show  me  the  key,"  interrupted  Paulus.  "  To 
what  untold  blessing  may  this  little  instrument  close  or 
open  the  issues !  Do  you  know,  man,  that  I  think 
there  is  a  way  for  us  both  out  of  the  difficulty !  You 
go  to  your  sick  wife,  and  I  will  take  the  key  to  the 
senator  as  soon  as  I  have  finished  my  devotions." 

The  door-keeper  considered  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  acceded  to  the  request  of  the  future  presbyter  of 
Raithu,  while  at  the  same  time  he  begged  him  not  to 
linger  too  late. 

As  he  went  by  the  senator's  house  he  smelt  the 
savor  of  roast  meat;  he  was  a  poor  man  and  thought 
to  himself,  "They  fast  in  there  just  when  it  pleases 
them,  but  as  for  us,  we  fast  when  it  pleases  us  least." 

The  good  smell,  which  provoked  this  lament,  rose 
from  a  roast  sheep,  which  was  being  prepared  as  a 
feast-supper  for  the  senator  and  the  assembled  mem- 
bers of  his  household;  even  the  slaves  shared  in  the 
late  evening  meal. 

Petrus  and  Dame  Dorothea  sat  in  the  Greek  fashion, 
side  by  side  in  a  half  reclining  position  on  a  simple 
couch,  and  before  them  stood  a  table  which  no  one 
shared  with  them,  but  close  to  which  was  the  seat  for 
the  grown  up  children  of  the  house.  The  slaves 
squatted  on  the  ground  nearer  to  the  door,  and 
crowded  into  two  circles,  each  surrounding  a  steaming 
dish,  out  of  which  they  helped  themselves  to  the  brown 
stew  of  lentils  with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  A  round, 
grey-looking  cake  of  bread  lay  near  each,  and  was  not 
to  be  broken  till  the  steward  Jethro  had  cut  and  appor- 
tioned the  sheep.  The  juicy  pieces  of  the  back  and 
thighs  of  the  animal  were  offered  to  Petrus  and  his 
family  to  choose  from,  but  the  carver  laid  a  slice  for 


102  HOMO    SUM. 

each  slave  on  his  cake — a  larger  for  the  men  and  a 
smaller  for  the  women.  Many  looked  with  envy  on 
the  more  succulent  piece  that  had  fallen  to  a  neigh- 
bor's share,  but  not  even  those  that  had  fared  worst 
dared  to  complain,  for  a  slave  was  allowed  to  speak 
only  when  his  master  addressed  him,  and  Petrus  forbid 
even  his  children  to  discuss  their  food  whether  to  praise 
it  or  to  find  fault. 

In  the  midst  of  the  underlings  sat  Miriam;  she 
never  ate  much,  and  all  meat  was  repulsive  to  her,  so 
she  pushed  the  cut  from  the  ribs  that  was  given  to  her 
over  to  an  old  garden-woman,  who  sat  opposite,  and 
who  had  often  given  her  a  fruit  or  a  little  honey,  for 
Miriam  loved  sweet  things.  Petrus  spoke  not  a  word 
to-day  to  his  slaves,  and  very  little  even  to  his  family ; 
Dorothea  marked  the  deep  lines  between  his  grave 
eyes,  not  without  anxiety,  and  noted  how  he  pinched 
his  lips,  when,  forgetful  of  the  food  before  him,  he  sat 
lost  in  meditation. 

The  meal  was  ended,  but  still  he  did  not  move,  nor 
did  he  observe  the  enquiring  glances  which  were  turned 
on  him  by  many  eyes;  no  one  dared  to  rise  before  the 
master  gave  the  signal. 

Miriam  followed  all  his  movements  with  more  im- 
patience than  any  of  the  others  who  were  present ;  she 
rocked  restlessly  backwards  and  forwards,  crumbled  the 
bread  that  she  had  left  with  her  slender  fingers,  and  her 
breath  now  came  fast  and  faster,  and  now  seemed  to 
stop  entirely.  She  had  heard  the  court-yard  gate  open, 
and  had  recognized  Hernias '  step. 

"  He  wants  to  speak  to  the  master,  in  a  moment  he 
will  come  in,  and  find  me  among  these — "  thought  she, 
and  she  involuntarily  stroked  her  hand   over  her  rough 


HOMO    SUM.  IO3 

hair  to  smooth  it,  and  threw  a  glance  at  the  other 
slaves,  in  which  hatred  and  contempt  were  equally 
marked. 

But  Hennas  came  not.  Not  for  an  instant  did  she 
think  that  her  ear  had  deceived  her — was  he  waiting 
now  at  the  door  for  the  conclusion  of  the  meal  ?  Was 
his  late  visit  intended  for  the  Gaulish  lady,  to  whom 
she  had  seen  him  go  yesterday  again  with  the  wine-jar? 

Sirona's  husband,  Phoebicius,  as  Miriam  well  knew, 
was  upon  the  mountain,  and  offering  sacrifice  by  moon- 
light to  Mithras  with  his  fellow  heathen  in  a  cave  which 
she  had  long  known.  She  had  seen  the  Gaul  quit  the 
court  during  the  time  of  evening-prayer  with  a  few 
soldiers,  two  of  whom  carried  after  him  a  huge  coffer, 
out  of  which  rose  the  handle  of  a  mighty  cauldron,  and 
a  skin  full  of  water,  and  various  vessels.  She  knew 
that  these  men  would  pass  the  whole  night  in  the  grotto 
of  Mithras,  and  there  greet  "the  young  god" — the  ris- 
ing sun — with  strange  ceremonies ;  for  the  inquisitive 
shepherdess  had  more  than  once  listened,  when  she  had 
led  her  goats  up  the  mountain  before  the  break  of  day, 
and  her  ear  had  detected  that  the  worshippers  of  Mithras 
were  performing  their  nocturnal  solemnities.  Now  it 
flashed  across  her  mind,  that  Sirona  was  alone,  and 
that  the  late  visit  of  Hermas  probably  concerned  her, 
and  not  the  senator. 

She  started,  there  was  quite  a  pain  in  her  heart, 
and,  as  usual,  when  any  violent  emotion  agitated  her 
mind,  she  involuntarily  sprang  to  her  feet  prompted  by 
the  force  of  her  passion,  and  had  almost  reached  the 
door,  when  the  senator's  voice  brought  her  to  a  pause, 
and  recalled  her  to  the  consciousness  of  the  impropriety 
of  her  behavior. 


104  HOMO    SUM. 

.  The  sick  man  still  lay  with  his  inflamed  wound  and 
fever  down  in  the  court,  and  she  knew  that  she  should 
escape  blame  if  in  answer  to  her  master's  stern  ques- 
tioning she  said  that  the  patient  needed  her,  but  she 
had  never  told  a  lie,  and  her  pride  forbade  her  even 
now  to  speak  an  untruth.  The  other  slaves  stared  with 
astonishment,  as  she  replied,  "  I  wanted  to  get  out;  the 
supper  is  so  long." 

Petrus  glanced  at  the  window,  and  perceiving  how 
high  the  moon  stood,  he  shook  his  head  as  if  in  wonder 
at  his  own  conduct,  then  without  blaming  her  he  offered 
a  thanksgiving,  gave  the  slaves  the  signal  to  leave  the 
room,  and  after  receiving  a  kiss  of  "  good-night"  from 
each  of  his  children — from  among  whom  Polykarp,  the 
sculptor,  alone  was  missing — he  withdrew  to  his  own 
room.  But  he  did  not  remain  alone  there  for  long :  so 
soon  as  Dorothea  had  discussed  the  requirements  of  the 
house  for  the  next  day  with  Marthana  and  the  steward, 
and  had  been  through  the  sleeping-room  of  her 
younger  children,  casting  a  loving  glance  on  the  peace- 
ful sleepers,  arranging  here  a  coverlet,  and  there  a 
pillow — she  entered  her  husband's  room  and  called  his 
name. 

Petrus  stood  still  and  looked  round,  and  his  grave 
eyes  were  full  of  grateful  tenderness  as  they  met  those 
of  his  wife.  Dorothea  knew  the  soft  and  loving  heart 
within  the  stern  exterior,  and  nodded  to  him  with  sym- 
pathetic understanding :  but  before  she  could  speak,  he 
said,  "  Come  in,  come  nearer  to  me ;  there  is  a  heavy 
matter  in  hand,  and  you  cannot  escape  your  share  of 
the  burden." 

"  Give  me  my  share  !"  cried  she  eagerly.  "  The 
slim  girl  of  former  years  has  grown  a  broad-shouldered 


HOMO    SUM.  105 

old  woman,  so  that  it  may  be  easier  to  her  to  help  her 
lord  to  bear  the  many  burdens  of  life.  But  I  am 
seriously  anxious — even  before  we  went  to  church 
something  unsatisfactory  had  happened  to  you,  and  not 
merely  in  the  council-meeting.  There  must  be  some- 
thing not  right  with  one  of  the  children." 

"  What  eyes  you  have !"  exclaimed  Petrus. 

"  Dim,  grey  eyes,"  said  Dorothea,  "  and  not  even 
particularly  keen.  But  when  anything  concerns  you 
and  the  children  I  could  see  it  in  the  dark.  You  are 
dissatisfied  with  Polykarp;  yesterday,  before  he  set  out 
for  Ra'ithu,  you  looked  at  him  so — so — what  shall  I 
say  ?  I  can  quite  imagine  what  it  is  all  about,  but  I 
believe  you  are  giving  yourself  groundless  anxiety.  He 
is  young,  and  so  lovely  a  woman  as  Sirona — " 

Up  to  this  point  Petrus  had  listened  to  his  wife  in 
silence.  Now  he  clasped  his  hands,  and  interrupted 
her,  "Things  certainly  are  not  going  on  quite  right — 
but  I  ought  to  be  used  to  it.  What  I  meant  to  have 
confided  to  you  in  a  quiet  hour,  you  tell  me  as  if  you 
knew  all  about  it!" 

"And  why  not?"  asked  Dorothea.  "When  you 
graft  a  scion  on  to  a  tree,  and  they  have  grown  well 
together,  the  grafted  branch  feels  the  bite  of  the  saw 
that  divides  the  stock,  or  the  blessing  of  the  spring  that 
feeds  the  roots,  just  as  if  the  pain  or  the  boon  were  its 
own.  And  you  are  the  tree  and  I  am  the  graft,  and 
the  magic  power  of  marriage  has  made  us  one.  Your 
pulses  are  my  pulses,  ^our  thoughts  have  become  mine, 
and  so  I  always  know  before  you  tell  me  what  it  is  that 
stirs  your  soul." 

Dorothea's  kind  eyes  moistened  as  she  spoke,  and 
Petrus  warmly  clasped    her  hands  in  his   as  he  said, 


106  HOMO    SUM. 

"And  if  the  gnarled  old  trunk  bears  from  time  to  time 
some  sweet  fruit,  he  may  thank  the  graft  for  it.  I  can- 
not believe  that  the  anchorites  up  yonder  are  peculiarly 
pleasing  to  the  Lord  because  they  live  in  solitude. 
Man  comes  to  his  perfect  humanity  only  through  his 
wife  and  child,  and  he  who  has  them  not,  can  never 
learn  the  most  glorious  heights  and  the  darkest  depths 
of  life  and  feeling.  If  a  man  may  stake  his  whole  ex- 
istence and  powers  for  anything,  surely  it  is  for  his  own 
house." 

"And  you  have  honestly  done  so  for  ours!  "  cried 
Dorothea. 

"For  ours,"  repeated  Petrus,  giving  the  words  the 
strongest  accent  of  his  deep  voice.  Two  are  stronger 
than  one,  and  it  is  long  since  we  ceased  to  say  T  in 
discussing  any  question  concerning  the  house  or  the 
children;  and  both  have  been  touched  by  to-day's 
events." 

"The  senate  will  not  support  you  in  constructing 
the  road?" 

"  No,  the  bishop  gave  the  casting-vote.  I  need  not 
tell  you  how  we  stand  towards  each  other,  and  I  will 
not  blame  him;  for  he  is  a  just  man,  but  in  many 
things  we  can  never  meet  half-way.  You  know  that  he 
was  in  his  youth  a  soldier,  and  his  very  piety  is  rough — 
I  might  almost  say  warlike.  If  we  had  yielded  to  his 
views,  and  if  our  head  man  Obedianus  had  not  sup- 
ported me,  we  should  not  have  had  a  single  picture  in 
the  church,  and  it  would  have  looked  like  a  barn  rather 
than  a  house  of  prayer.  We  never  have  understood 
each  other,  and  since  I  opposed  his  wish  of  making 
Polykarp  a  priest,  and  sent  the  boy  to  learn  of  the 
sculptor  Thalassius — for  even  as  a  child  he  drew  better 


HOMO    SUM.  I07 

than  many  masters  in  these  wretched  days  that  produce 
no  great  artists — since  then,  I  say,  he  speaks  of  me  as 
if  I  were  a  heathen — " 

"And  yet  he  esteems  you  highly,  that  I  know,'* 
interrupted  Dame  Dorothea. 

"I  fully  return  his  good  opinion,"  replied  Petrus, 
"and  it  is  no  ordinary  matter  that  estranges  us.  He 
thinks  that  he  only  holds  the  true  faith,  and  ought  to 
fight  for  it;  he  calls  all  artistic  work  a  heathen  abomi- 
nation; he  never  felt  the  purifying  influence  of  the 
beautiful,  and  regards  all  pictures  and  statues  as  tend- 
ing to  idolatry.  Still  he  allows  himself  to  admire 
Polykarp's  figures  of  angels  and  the  Good  Shepherd, 
but  the  lions  put  the  old  warrior  in  a  rage.  'Ac- 
cursed idols  and  works  of  the  devil,'  are  what  he  calls 
them." 

"  But  there  were  lions  even  in  the  temple  of  Solo- 
mon," cried  Dorothea. 

"  I  urged  that,  and  also  that  in  the  schools  of  the 
catechists,  and  in  the  educational  history  of  animals 
which  we  possess  and  teach  from,  the  Saviour  himself 
is  compared  to  a  lion,  and  that  Mark,  the  evangelist, 
who  brought  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  to  Alexandria, 
is  represented  with  a  lion.  But  he  withstood  me  more 
and  more  violently,  saying  that  Polykarp's  works  were 
to  adorn  no  sacred  place,  but  the  Csesareum,  and  that 
to  him  is  nothing  but  a  heathen  edifice,  and  the  noble 
works  of  the  Greeks  that  are  preserved  there  he  calls 
revolting  images  by  which  Satan  ensnares  the  souls  of 
Christian  men.  The  other  senators  can  understand  his 
hard  words,  but  they  cannot  follow  mine;  and  so  they 
vote  with  him,  and  my  motion  to  construct"  the  road- 
way was   thrown   over,  because  it  did  not  become  a 


Io8  HOMO    SUM. 

Christian  assembly  to  promote  idolatry,  and  to  smooth 
a  way  for  the  devil." 

"I  can  see  that  you  must  have  answered  them 
sharply !" 

"Indeed  I  believe  so,"  answered  Petrus,  looking 
down.  "  Many  painful  things  were  no  doubt  said,  and 
it  was  I  that  suffered  for  them.  Agapitus,  who  was 
looking  at  the  deacons'  reports,  was  especially  dissatis- 
fied with  the  account  that  I  laid  before  them;  they 
blamed  us  severely  because  you  gave  away  as  much 
bread  to  heathen  households  as  to  Christians.  It  is  no 
doubt  true,  but — " 

"But,"  cried  Dorothea  eagerly,  "hunger  is  just  as 
painful  to  the  unbaptized,  and  their  Christian  neighbors 
do  not  help  them,  and  yet  they  too  are  our  flesh  and 
blood.  I  should  ill  fulfil  my  office  if  I  were  to  let  them 
starve,  because  the  highest  comfort  is  lacking  to  them.'' 

"And  yet,"  said  Petrus,  "the  council  decided  that, 
for  the  future,  you  must  apply  at  the  most  a  fourth  part 
of  the  grain  allotted  to  their  use.  You  need  not  fear 
for  them ;  for  the  future  some  of  our  own  produce  may 
go  to  them  out  of  what  we  have  hitherto  sold.  You 
need  not  withdraw  even  a  loaf  from  any  one  of  your 
proteges,  but  certainly  may  now  be  laid  by  the  plans 
for  the  road.  Indeed  there  is  no  hurry  for  its  comple- 
tion, for  Polykarp  will  now  hardly  be  able  to  go  on 
with  his  lions  here  among  us.  Poor  fellow  !  with  what 
delight  he  formed  the  clay  models,  and  how  wonder- 
fully he  succeeded  in  reproducing  the  air  and  aspect  of 
the  majestic  beasts.  It  is  as  if  he  were  inspired  by  the 
spirit  of  the  old  Athenian  masters.  We  must  now  con- 
sider whether  in  Alexandria — " 

"  Rather  let  us   endeavor,"   interrupted    Dorothea, 


HOMO    SUM.  109 

"to  induce  him  at  once  to  put  aside  his  models,  and  to 
execute  other  more  pious  works.  Agapitus  has  keen 
eyes,  and  the  heathen  work  is  only  too  dear  to  the  lad's 
heart." 

The  senator's  brow  grew  dark  at  the  last  words,  and 
he  said,  not  without  some  excitement,  "  Everything  that 
the  heathen  do  is  not  to  be  condemned.  Polykarp  must 
be  kept  busy,  constantly  and  earnestly  occupied,  for  he 
has  set  his  eyes  where  they  should  not  be  set.  Sirona 
is  the  wife  of  another,  and  even  in  sport  no  man  should 
try  to  win  his  neighbor's  wife.  Do  you  think,  the 
Gaulish  woman  is  capable  of  forgetting  her  duty?" 

Dorothea  hesitated,  and  after  some  reflection  an- 
swered, "  She  is  a  beautiful  and  vain  child — a  perfect 
child;  I  mean  in  nature,  and  not  in  years,  although  she 
certainly  might  be  the  grandchild  of  her  strange  hus- 
band, for  whom  she  feels  neither  love  nor  respect,  nor, 
indeed,  anything  but  utter  aversion.  I  know  not  what, 
but  something  frightful  must  have  come  between  them 
even  in  Rome,  and  I  have  given  up  all  attempts  to 
guide  her  heart  back  to  him.  In  everything  else  she  is 
soft  and  yielding,  and  often,  when  she  is  playing  with 
the  children,  I  cannot  imagine  where  she  finds  her 
reckless  gaiety.  I  wish  she  were  a  Christian,  for  she  is 
very  dear  to  me,  why  should  I  deny  it?  It  is  impos- 
sible to  be  sad  when  she  is  by,  and  she  is  devoted  to 
me,  and  dreads  my  blame,  and  is  always  striving  to  win 
my  approbation.  Certainly  she  tries  to  please  every 
one,  even  the  children;  but,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  not 
more  Polykarp  than  any  one  else,  although  he  is  such 
a  fine  young  man.     No,  certainly  not." 

"And  yet  the  boy  gazes  at  her,"  said  Petrus,  "and 
Phcebicius  has  noticed  it;   he  met  me  yesterday  when 


IIO  HOMO    SUM. 

I  came  home,  and,  in  his  sour,  polite  manner,  requested 
me  to  advise  my  son,  when  he  wished  to  offer  a  rose, 
not  to  throw  it  into  his  window,  as  he  was  not  fond  of 
flowers,  and  preferred  to  gather  them  himself  for  his 
wife." 

The  senator's  wife  turned  pale,  and  then  exclaimed 
shortly  and  positively,  "We  do  not  need  a  lodger,  and 
much  as  I  should  miss  his  wife,  the  best  plan  will  be 
for  you  to  request  him  to  find  another  dwelling." 

"Say  no  more,  wife,"  Petrus  said  sternly,  and  inter- 
rupting her  with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "Shall  we  make 
Sirona  pay  for  it  because  our  son  has  committed  a  folly 
for  her  sake  ?  You  yourself  said,  that  her  intercourse 
with  the  children,  and  her  respect  for  you,  preserve  her 
from  evil,  and  now  shall  we  show  her  the  door  ?  By 
no  means.  The  Gauls  may  remain  in  my  house  so 
long  as  nothing  occurs  that  compels  me  to  send  them 
out  of  it.  My  father  was  a  Greek,  but  through  my 
mother  I  have  Amalekite  blood  in  my  veins,  and  I 
should  dishonor  myself,  if  I  drove  from  my  threshold 
any,  with  whom  I  had  once  broken  bread  under  my 
roof.  Polykarp  shall  be  warned,  and  shall  learn  what 
he  owes  to  us,  to  himself,  and  to  the  laws  of  God.  I 
know  how  to  value  his  noble  gifts,  and  I  am  his 
friend,  but  I  am  also  his  master,  and  I  will  find  means 
of  preventing  my  son  from  introducing  the  light  con- 
duct of  the  capital  beneath  his  father's  roof." 

The  last  words  were  spoken  with  weight  and  deci- 
sion, like  the  blows  of  a  hammer,  and  stern  resolve 
sparkled  in  the  senator's  eyes.  Nevertheless,  his  wife 
went  fearlessly  up  to  him,  and  said,  laying  her  hand  on 
his  arm,  "It  is,  indeed,  well  that  a  man  can  keep  his 
eyes  set  on  what  is  just,  when  we  women  should  follow 


HOMO    SUM.  Ill 

the  hasty  impulse  of  our  heart.  Even  in  wrestling,  men 
only  fight  with  lawful  and  recognized  means,  while 
fighting  women  use  their  teeth  and  nails.  You  men 
understand  better  how  to  prevent  injustice  than  we  do, 
and  that  you  have  once  more  proved  to  me,  but,  in 
carrying  justice  out,  you  are  not  our  superiors.  The 
Gauls  may  remain  in  our  house,  and  do  you  take  Poly- 
karp  severely  to  task,  but  in  the  first  instance  as  his 
friend.  Or  would  it  not  be  better  if  you  left  it  to  me  ? 
He  was  so  happy  in  thinking  of  the  completion  of  his 
lions,  and  in  having  to  work  for  the  great  building  in 
the  capital,  and  now  it  is  all  over.  I  wish  you  had 
already  broken  that  to  him;  but  love  stories  are 
women's  affairs,  and  you  know  how  good  the  boy  is  to 
me.  A  mother's  word  sometimes  has  more  effect  than 
a  father's  blow,  and  it  is  in  life  as  it  is  in  war ;  the  light 
forces  of  archers  go  first  into  the  field,  and  the  heavily 
armed  division  stays  in  the  background  to  support 
them;  then,  if  the  enemy  will  not  yield,  it  comes  for- 
ward and  decides  the  battle.  First  let  me  speak  to  the 
lad.  It  may  be  that  he  threw  the  rose  into  Sirona's 
window  only  in  sport,  for  she  plays  with  his  brothers 
and  sisters  as  if  she  herself  were  one  of  them.  I  will 
question  him;  for  if  it  is  so,  it  would  be  neither  just  nor 
prudent  to  blame  him.  Some  caution  is  needed  even 
in  giving  a  warning;  for  many  a  one,  who  would  never 
have  thought  of  stealing,  has  become  a  thief  through 
false  suspicion.  A  young  heart  that  is  beginning  to 
love,  is  like  a  wild  boy  who  always  would  rather  take 
the  road  he  is  warned  to  avoid,  and  when  I  was  a  girl, 
I  myself  first  discovered  how  much  I  liked  you,  when 
the  Senator  Aman's  wife — who  wanted  you  for  her  own 
daughter — advised  me  to  be  on  my  guard  with  you. 


112  HOMO    SUM. 

A  man  who  has  made  such  good  use  of  his  time,  among 
all  the  temptations  of  the  Greek  Sodom,  as  Polykarp, 
and  who  has  won  such  high  praise  from  all  his  teachers 
and  masters,  cannot  have  been  much  injured  by  the 
light  manners  of  the  Alexandrians.  It  is  in  a  man's 
early  years  that  he  takes  the  bent  which  he  follows 
throughout  his  later  life,  and  that  he  had  done  before 
he  left  our  house.  Nay — even  if  I  did  not  know  what 
a  good  fellow  Polykarp  is — I  need  only  look  at  you  to 
say,  'A  child  that  was  brought  up  by  this  father,  could 
never  turn  out  a  bad  man.'" 

Petrus  sadly  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  though  he 
regarded  his  wife's  flattering  words  as  mere  idle  folly, 
and  yet  he  smiled,  as  he  asked,  "Whose  school  of 
rhetoric  did  you  go  to?  So  be  it  then;  speak  to  the 
lad  when  he  returns  from  Raithu.  How  high  the  moon 
is  already;  come  to  rest — Antonius  is  to  place  the  altar 
in  the  early  dawn,  and  I  wish  to  be  present." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Miriam's  ears  had  not  betrayed  her.  While  she 
was  detained  at  supper,  Hermas  had  opened  the  court- 
yard-gate; he  came  to  bring  the  senator  a  noble  young 
buck,  that  he  had  killed  a  few  hours  before,  as  a  thank- 
offering  for  the  medicine  to  which  his  father  owed  his 
recovery.  It  would  no  doubt  have  been  soon  enough 
the  next  morning,  but  he  could  find  no  rest  up  on  the 
mountain,  and  did  not — and  indeed  did  not  care  to — 
conceal  from  himself  the  fact,  that  the  wish  to  give  ex- 
pression to  his  gratitude  attracted  him  down  into  the 


HOMO    SUM.  II3 

oasis  far  less  than  the  hope  of  seeing  Sirona,  and  of 
hearing  a  word  from  her  lips. 

Since  their  first  meeting  he  had  seen  her  several 
times,  and  had  even  been  into  her  house,  when  she  had 
given  him  the  wine  for  his  father,  and  when  he  had 
taken  back  the  empty  flask.  Once,  as  she  was  filling 
the  bottle  which  he  held,  out  of  the  large  jar,- her  white 
fingers  had  touched  his,  and  her  enquiry  whether  he 
were  afraid  of  her,  or  if  not,  why  his  hands  which 
looked  so  strong  should  tremble  so  violently,  dwelt  still 
in  his  mind.  The  nearer  he  approached  Petrus's  house 
the  more  vehemently  his  heart  beat;  he  stood  still  in 
front  of  the  gate- way,  to  take  breath,  and  to  collect  him- 
self a  little,  for  he  felt  that,  agitated  as  he  was,  he 
would  find  it  difficult  to  utter  any  coherent  words. 

At  last  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  latch  and  entered  the 
yard.  The  watch-dogs  already  knew  him,  and  only 
barked  once  as  he  stepped  over  the  threshold. 

He  brought  a  gift  in  his  handr  and  he  wanted  to 
take  nothing  away,  and  yet  he  appeared  to  himself  just 
like  a  thief  as  he  looked  round,  first  at  the  main  build- 
ing lighted  up  by  the  moon,  and  then  at  the  Gaul's 
dwelling-house,  which,  veiled  in  darkeness,  stood  up  as 
a  vague  silhouette,  and  threw  a  broad  dark  shadow  on 
the  granite  flags  of  the  pavement,  which  was  trodden 
to  shining  smoothness.  There  was  not  a  soul  to  be 
seen,  and  the  reek  of  the  roast  sheep  told  him  that 
Petrus  and  his  household  were  assembled  at  supper. 

"  I  might  come  inopportunely  on  the  feasters,"  said 
he  to  himself,  as  he  threw  the  buck  over  from  his  left  to 
his  right  shoulder,  and  looked  up  at  Sirona's  window, 
which  he  knew  only  too  well. 

It  was  not  lighted  up,  but  a  whiter  and  paler  some- 


114  HOMO    SUM. 

thing  appeared  within  its  dark  stone  frame,  and  this 
something,  attracted  his  gaze  with  an  irresistible  spell; 
it  moved,  and  Sirona's  greyhound  set  up  a  sharp  bark- 
ing. 

It  was  she — it  must  be  she!  Her  form  rose  before 
his  fancy  in  all  its  brilliant  beauty,  and  the  idea  flashed 
through  his  mind  that  she  must  be  alone,  for  he  had 
met  her  husband  and  the  old  slave  woman  among 
the  worshippers  of  Mithras  on  their  way  to  the  moun- 
tain. The  pious  youth,  who  so  lately  had  punished  his 
flesh  with  the  scourge  to  banish  seductive  dream-figures, 
had  in  these  few  days  become  quite  another  man.  He 
would  not  leave  the  mountain,  for  his  father's  sake,  but 
he  was  quite  determined  no  longer  to  avoid  the  way  of 
the  world;  nay,  rather  to  seek  it.  He  had  abandoned 
the  care  of  his  father  to  the  kindly  Paulus,  and  had 
wandered  about  among  the  rocks;  there  he  had  prac- 
tised throwing  the  discus,  he  had  hunted  the  wild  goats 
and  beasts  of  prey,  and  from  time  to  time — but  always 
with  some  timidity — he  had  gone  down  into  the  oasis 
to  wander  round  the  senator's  house,  and  catch  a 
glimpse  of  Sirona. 

Now  that  he  knew  that  she  was  alone,  he  was  ir- 
resistibly drawn  to  her.  What  he  desired  of  her,  he 
himself  could  not  have  said;  and  nothing  was  clear  to 
his  mind  beyond  the  wish  to  touch  her  fingers  once 
more. 

Whether  this  were  a  sin  or  not,  was  all  the  same  to 
him;  the  most  harmless  play  was  called  a  sin,  and  every 
thought  of  the  world  for  which  he  longed,  and  he  was 
fully  resolved  to  take  the  sin  upon  himself,  if  only  he 
might  attain  his  end.  Sin  after  all  was  nothing  but  a 
phantom  terror  with  which  they  frighten  children,  and 


HOMO    SUM.  .  115 

the  worthy  Petrus  had  assured  him  that  he  might  be  a 
man  capable  of  great  deeds.  With  a  feeling  that  he  was 
venturing  on  an  unheard  of  act  he  went  towards  Sirona's 
window,  and  she  at  once  recognized  him  as  he  stood 
in  the  moonlight. 

"  Hernias ! "  he  heard  her  say  softly.  He  was  seized 
with  such  violent  terror  that  he  stood  as  if  spellbound, 
the  goat  slipped  from  his  shoulders,  and  he  felt  as  if  his 
heart  had  ceased  to  beat.  And  again  the  sweet  wom- 
an's voice  called,  "  Hermas,  is  it  you  ?  What  brings 
you  to  us  at  such  a  late  hour?" 

He  stammered  an  incoherent  answer,  and  she  said, 
■"I  do  not  understand;  come  a  little  nearer." 

Involuntarily  he  stepped  forward  into  the  shadow 
of  the  house  and  close  up  to  her  window.  She  wore  a 
white  robe  with  wide,  open  sleeves,  and  her*  arms  shone 
in  the  dim  light  as  white  as  her  garment.  The  grey- 
hound barked  again;  she  quieted  it,  and  then  asked 
Hermas  how  his  father  was,  and  whether  he  needed 
some  more  wine.  He  replied  that  she  was  very  kind, 
angelically  kind,  but  that  the  sick  man  was  recovering 
fast,  and  that  she  had  already  given  him  far  too  much. 
Neither  of  them  said  anything  that  might  not  have 
been  heard  by  everybody,  and  yet  they  whispered  as  if 
they  were  speaking  of  some  forbidden  thing. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  Sirona,  and  she  disappeared 
within  the  room;  she  soon  reappeared,  and  said  softly 
and  sadly,  "  I  would  ask  you  to  come  into  the  house, 
but  Ph&bicius  has  locked  the  door.  I  am  quite  alone; 
hold  the  flask  so  that  I  may  fill  it  through  the  open 
window." 

With  these  words  she  leaned  over  with  the  large  jar; 
she  was  strong,  but  the  wine-jar  seemed  to  her  heavier 


Il6  HOMO    SUM. 

than  on  other  occasions,  and  she  said  with  a  sigh,  "The 
amphora  is  too  heavy  for  me." 

He  reached  up  to  help  her;  again  his  fingers  met 
hers,  and  again  he  felt  the  ecstatic  thrill  which  had 
haunted  his  memory  day  and  night  ever  since  he  first 
had  felt  it.  At  this  instant  there  was  a  sudden  noise  in 
the  house  opposite;  the  slaves  were  coming  out  from 
supper.  Sirona  knew  what  was  happening;  she  started 
and  cried  out,  pointing  to  the  senator's  door,  "For  all 
the  gods'  sake!  they  are  coming  out;  and  if  they  see 
you  here  I  am  lost!" 

Hermas  looked  hastily  round  the  court,  and  listened 
to  the  increasing  noise  in  the  other  house,  then,  per- 
ceiving that  there  was  no  possible  escape  from  the 
senator's  people,  who  were  close  upon  him,  he  cried 
out  to  Sirona  in  a  commanding  tone,  "Stand  back," 
and  flung  himself  up  through  the  window  into  the 
Gaul's  apartment.  At  the  same  moment  the  door  op- 
posite opened,  and  the  slaves  streamed  out  into  the 
yard. 

In  front  of  them  all  was  Miriam,  who  looked  all 
round  the  wide  space — expectant;  seeking  something, 
and  disappointed.  He  was  not  there,  and  yet  she  had 
heard  him  come  in;  and  the  gate  had  not  opened  and 
closed  a  second  time,  of  that  she  was  perfectly  certain. 
Some  of  the  slaves  went  to  the  stables,  others  went 
outside  the  gate  into  the  street  to  enjoy  the  coolness  of 
the  evening;  they  sat  in  groups  on  the  ground,  looking 
up  at  the  stars,  chattering  or  singing.  Only  the  shep- 
herdess remained  in  the  court-yard  seeking  him  on  all 
sides,  as  if  she  were  hunting  for  some  lost  trinket.  She 
searched  even  behind  the  millstones,  and  in  the  dark 
sheds    in    which    the    stone-workers'   tools   were  kept. 


HOMO    SUM.  117 

Then  she  stood  still  a  moment  and  clenched  her  hands; 
with  a  few  light  bounds  she  sprang  into  the  shadow  of 
the  Gaul's  house.  Just  in  front  of  Sirona's  window  lay 
the  steinbock;  she  hastily  touched  it  with  her  slender 
naked  toes,  but  quickly  withdrew  her  foot  with  a  shud- 
der, for  it  had  touched  the  beast's  fresh  wound,  wet 
with  its  blood.  She  rapidly  drew  the  conclusion  that 
he  had  killed  it,  and  had  thrown  it  down  here,  and  that 
he  could  not  be  far  off.  Now  she  knew  where  he  was 
in  hiding — and  she  tried  to  laugh,  for  the  pain  she  felt 
seemed  too  acute  and  burning  for  tears  to  allay  or  cool 
it.  But  she  did  not  wholly  lose  her  power  of  reflec- 
tion. "They  are  in  the  dark,"  thought  she,  "and  they 
would  see  me,  if  I  crept  under  the  window  to  listen; 
and  yet  I  must  know  what  they  are  doing  there  to- 
gether." 

She  hastily  turned  her  back  on  Sirona's  house, 
slipped  into  the  clear  moonlight,  and  after  standing 
there  for  a  few  minutes,  went  into  the  slaves'  quarters. 
An  instant  after,  she  slipped  out  behind  the  millstones, 
and  crept  as  cleverly  and  as  silently  as  a  snake  along 
the  ground  under  the  darkened  base  of  the  centurion's 
house,  and  lay  close  under  Sirona's  window. 

Her  loudly  beating  heart  made  it  difficult  for  even 
her  sharp  ears  to  hear,  but  though  she  could  not  gather 
all  that  he  said,  she  distinguished  the  sound  of  his  voice; 
he  was  no  longer  in  Sirona's  room,  but  in  the  room  that 
looked  out  on  the  street. 

Now  she  could  venture  to  raise  herself,  and  to  look 
in  at  the  open  window;  the  door  of  communication 
between  the  two  rooms  was  closed,  but  a  streak  of  light 
showed  her  that  in  the  farther  room,  which  was  the 
sitting-room,  a  lamp  was  burning. 


Il8  HOMO    SUM. 

She  had  already  put  up  her  hand  in  order  to  hoist 
herself  up  into  the  dark  room,  when  a  gay  laugh  from 
Sirona  fell  upon  her  ear.  The  image  of  her  enemy  rose 
up  before  her  mind,  brilliant  and  flooded  with  light  as 
on  that  morning,  when  Hermas  had  stood  just  opposite, 
bewildered  by  her  fascination.  And  now — now — he 
was  actually  lying  at  her  feet,  and  saying  sweet  flatter- 
ing words  to  her,  and  he  would  speak  to  her  of  love, 
and  stretch  out  his  arm  to  clasp  her — but  she  had 
laughed. 

Now  she  laughed  again.  Why  was  all  so  still  again  ? 
Had  she  offered  her  rosy  lips  for  a  kiss?  No  doubt, 
no  doubt.  And  Hermas  did  not  wrench  himself  from 
her  white  arms,  as  he  had  torn  himself  from  hers  that 
noon  by  the  spring — torn  himself  away  never  to  return. 

Cold  drops  stood  on  her  brow,  she  buried  her  hands 
in  her  thick,  black  hair,  and  a  loud  cry  escaped  her — a 
cry  like  that  of  a  tortured  animal.  A  few  minutes  more 
and  she  had  slipped  through  the  stable  and  the  gate  by 
which  they  drove  the  cattle  in;  and  no  longer  mistress 
of  herself,  was  flying  up  the  mountain  to  the  grotto  of 
Mithras  to  warn  Phcebicius. 

The  anchorite  Gelasius  saw  from  afar  the  figure  of 
the  girl  flying  up  the  mountain  in  the  moonlight:,  and 
her  shadow  flitting  from  stone  to  stone,  and  he  threw 
himself  on  the  ground,  and  signed  a  cross  on  his  brow, 
for  he  thought  he  saw  a  goblin-form,  one  of  the  myr- 
iad gods  of  the  heathen — an  Oread  pursued  by  a  Satyr. 

Sirona  had  heard  the  girl's  shriek. 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  she  asked  the  youth,  who  stood 
before  her  in  the  full-dress  uniform  of  a  Roman  officer, 
as  handsome  as  the  young  god  of  war,  though  awkward 
and  unsoldierly  in  his  movements. 


HOMO    SUM.  119 

"  An  owl  screamed — "  replied  Hernias.  "  My 
father  must  at  last  tell  me  from  what  house  we  are  de- 
scended, and  I  will  go  to  Byzantium,  the  new  Rome, 
and  say  to  the  emperor,  '  Here  am  I,  and  I  will  fight 
for  you  among  your  warriors.'" 

"  I  like  you  so ! "  exclaimed  Sirona. 

"  If  that  is  the  truth,"  cried  Hermas,  "  prove  it  to 
me!  Let  me  once  press  my  lips  to  your  shining  gold 
hair.  You  are  beautiful,  as  sweet  as  a  flower — as  gay 
and  bright  as  a  bird,  and  yet  as  hard  as  our  mountain 
rock.  If  you  do  not  grant  me  one  kiss,  I  shall  long  till 
I  am  sick  and  weak  before  I  can  get  away  from  here, 
and  prove  my  strength  in  battle." 

"And  if  I  yield,"  laughed  Sirona,  "you  will  be 
wanting  another  and  another  kiss,  and  at  last  not  get 
away  at  all.  No,  no,  my  friend — I  am  the  wiser  of  us 
two.  Now  go  into  the  dark  room,  I  will  look  out  and 
see  whether  the  people  are  gone  in  again,  and  whether 
you  can  get  off  unseen  from  the  street  window,  for  you 
have  been  here  much  too  long  already.  Do  you  hear  ? 
— I  command  you." 

Hermas  obeyed  with  a  sigh;  Sirona  opened  the 
shutter  and  looked  out.  The  slaves  were  coming  back 
into  the  court,  and  she  called  out  a  friendly  word  or 
two,  which  were  answered  with  equal  friendliness,  for  the 
Gaulish  lady,  who  never  overlooked  even  the  humblest, 
was  dear  to  them  all.  She  took  in  the  night-air  with 
deep-drawn  breaths,  and  looked  up  contentedly  at  the 
moon,  for  she  was  well  content  with  herself. 

When  Hermas  had  swung  himself  up  into  her  room, 
she  had  started  back  in  alarm ;  he  had  seized  her  hand 
and  pressed  his  burning  lips  to  her  arm,  and  she  let  him 
do  it,  for  she  was  overcome  with  strange  bewilderment. 


120  HOMO    SUM. 

Then  she  heard  Dame  Dorothea  calling  out,  "  Directly, 
directly,  I  will  only  say  good  night  first  to  the  children." 

These  simple  words,  uttered  in  Dorothea's  voice, 
had  a  magical  effect  on  the  warm-hearted  woman — 
badly  used  and  suspected  as  she  was,  and  yet  so  well 
formed  for  happiness,  love  and  peace.  When  her  hus- 
band had  locked  her  in,  taking  even  her  slave  with  him, 
at  first  she  had  raved,  wept,  meditated  revenge  and 
flight,  and  at  last,  quite  broken  down,  had  seated  her- 
self by  the  window  in  silent  thought  of  her  beautiful 
home,  her  brothers  and  sisters,  and  the  dark  olive 
groves  of  Arelas. 

Then  Hernias  appeared.  It  had  not  escaped  her 
that  the  young  anchorite  passionately  admired  her,  and 
she  was  not  displeased,  for  she  liked  him,  and  the  con- 
fusion writh  which  he  had  been  overcome  at  the  sight 
of  her  flattered  her  and  seemed  to  her  doubly  precious 
because  she  knew  that  the  hermit  in  his  sheepskin,  on 
whom  she  had  bestowed  a  gift  of  wine,  was  in  fact  a 
young  man  of  distinguished  rank.  And  how  truly  to 
be  pitied  was  the  poor  boy,  who  had  had  his  youth 
spoilt  by  a  stern  father.  A  woman  easily  bestows  some 
tender  feeling  on  the  man  that  she  pities ;  perhaps  be- 
cause she  is  grateful  to  him  for  the  pleasure  of  feeling 
herself  the  stronger,  and  because  through  him  and  his 
suffering  she  finds  gratification  for  the  noblest  happiness 
of  a  woman's  heart — that  of  giving  tender  and  helpful 
care ;  women's  hands  are  softer  than  ours.  In  men's 
hearts  love  is  commonly  extinguished  when  pity  begins, 
while  admiration  acts  like  sunshine  on  the  budding 
plant  of  a  woman's  inclination,  and  pity  is  the  glory 
which  radiates  from  her  heart. 

Neither  admiration  nor  pity,  however,  would  have 


HOMO    SUM.  12  r 

been  needed  to  induce  Sirona  to  call  Hermas  to  her 
window ;  she  felt  so  unhappy  and  lonely,  that  any  one 
must  have  seemed  welcome  from  whom  she  might  look 
for  a  friendly  and  encouraging  word  to  revive  her  deeply 
wounded  self-respect.  And  there  came  the  young  an- 
chorite, who  forgot  himself  and  everything  else  in  her 
presence,  whose  looks,  whose  movement,  whose  very 
silence  even  seemed  to  do  homage  to  her.  And  then 
his  bold  spring  into  her  room,  and  his  eager  wooing — 
"  This  is  love,"  said  she  to  herself.  Her  cheeks  glowed, 
and  when  Hermas  clasped  her  hand,  and  pressed  her 
arm  to  his  lips,  she  could  not  repulse  him,  till  Doro- 
thea's voice  reminded  her  of  the  worthy  lady  and  of 
the  children,  and  through  them  of  her  own  far-off  sisters. 

The  thought  of  these  pure  beings  flowed  over  her 
troubled  spirit  like  a  purifying  stream,  and  the  question 
passed  through  her  mind,  "  What  should  I  be  without 
these  good  folks  over  there,  and  is  this  great  love-sick 
boy,  who  stood  before  Polykarp  just  lately  looking  like 
a  school-boy,  is  he  so  worthy  that  I  should  for  his  sake 
give  up  the  right  of  looking  them  boldly  in  the  face  ?  " 
And  she  pushed  Hermas  roughly  away,  just  as  he  was 
venturing  for  the  first  time  to  apply  his  lips  to  her  per- 
fumed gold  hair,  and  desired  him  to  be  less  forward,  and 
to  release  her  hand. 

She  spoke  in  a  low  voice,  but  with  such  decision, 
that  the  lad,  who  was  accustomed  to  the  habit  of 
obedience,  unresistingly  allowed  her  to  push  him  into 
the  sitting-room.  There  was  a  lamp  burning  on  the 
table,  and  on  a  bench  by  the  wall  of  the  room,  which 
was  lined  with  colored  stucco,  lay  the  helmet,  the  cen- 
turion's staff,  and  the  other  portions  of  the  armor  which 
Phoebicius  had  taken  off  before  setting  out  for  the  feast 


122  HOMO    SUM. 

of  Mithras,  in  order  to  assume  the  vestments  of  one  of 
the  initiated  of  the  grade  of  "  Lion." 

The  lamp-light  revealed  Sirona's  figure,  and  as  she 
stood  before  him  in  all  her  beauty  with  glowing  cheeks, 
the  lad's  heart  began  to  beat  high,  and  with  increased 
boldness  he  opened  his  arms,  and  endeavored  to  draw 
her  to  him;  but  Sirona  avoided  him  and  went  behind 
the  table,  and,  leaning  her  hands  on  its  polished  surface 
while  it  protected  her  like  a  shield,  she  lectured  him  in 
wise  and  almost  motherly  words  against  his  rash,  in- 
temperate, and  unbecoming  behavior. 

Any  one  who  was  learned  in  the  heart  of  woman 
might  have  smiled  at  such  words  from  such  lips  and  in 
such  an  hour;  but  Hermas  blushed  and  cast  down  his 
eyes,  and  knew  not  what  to  answer.  A  great  change 
had  come  over  the  Gaulish  lady;  she  felt  a  great  pride 
in  her  virtue,  and  in  the  victory  she  had  won  over  her- 
self, and  while  she  sunned  herself  in  the  splendor  of  her 
own  merits,  she  wished  that  Hermas  too  should  feel  and 
recognize  them.  She  began  to  expatiate  on  all  that  she 
had  to  forego  and  to  endure  in  the  oasis,  and  she  dis- 
coursed of  virtue  and  the  duties  of  a  wife,  and  of  the 
wickedness  and  audacity  of  men. 

Hermas,  she  said,  was  no  better  than  the  rest,  and 
because  she  had  shown  herself  somewhat  kind  to  him, 
he  fancied  already  that  he  had  a  claim  on  her  liking ; 
but  he  was  greatly  mistaken,  and  if  only  the  court- 
yard had  been  empty,  she  would  long  ago  have  shown 
him  the  door. 

The  young  hermit  was  soon  only  half  listening  to 
all  she  said,  for  his  attention  had  been  riveted  by  the 
armor  which  lay  before  him,  and  which  gave  a  new 
direction  to  his  excited  feelings.     He  involuntarily  put 


HOMO    SUM.  123 

out  his  hand  towards  the  gleaming  helmet,  and  inter- 
rupted the  pretty  preacher  with  the  question,  "May 
I  try  it  on  ?" 

Sirona  laughed  out  loud  and  exclaimed,  much 
amused  and  altogether  diverted  from  her  train  of 
thought,  "To  be  sure.  You  ought  to  be  a  soldier. 
How  well  it  suits  you!  Take  off  your  nasty  sheepskin, 
and  let  us  see  how  the  anchorite  looks  as  a  centurion." 

Hermas  needed  no  second  telling;  he  decked 
himself  in  the  Gaul's  armor  with  Sirona's  help.  We 
human  beings  must  indeed  be  in  a  deplorable  plight; 
otherwise  how  is  it  that  from  our  earliest  years  we  find 
such  delight  in  disguising  ourselves;  that  is  to  say,  in 
sacrificing  our  own  identity  to  the  tastes  of  another 
whose  aspect  we  borrow.  The  child  shares  this  inex- 
plicable pleasure  with  the  sage,  and  the  stern  man  who 
should  condemn  it  would  not  therefore  be  the  wiser, 
for  he  who  wholly  abjures  folly  is  a  fool  all  the  more 
certainly  the  less  he  fancies  himself  one.  Even  dressing 
others  has  a  peculiar  charm,  especially  for  women;  it 
is  often  a  question  which  has  the  greater  pleasure,  the 
maid  who  dresses  her  mistress  or  the  lady  who  wears 
the  costly  garment. 

Sirona  was  devoted  to  every  sort  of  masquerading. 
If  it  had  been  needful  to  seek  a  reason  why  the  sena- 
tor's children  and  grandchildren  were  so  fond  of  her,  by 
no  means  last  or  least  would  have  been  the  fact  that 
she  would  willingly  and  cheerfully  allow  herself  to  be 
tricked  out  in  colored  kerchiefs,  ribands,  and  flowers, 
and  on  her  part  could  contrive  the  most  fantastic  cos- 
tumes for  them.  So  soon  as  she  saw  Hermas  with  the 
helmet  on,  the  fancy  seized  her  to  carry  through  the 
travesty  he  had  begun.      She  eagerly  and   in  perfect 


124  HOMO    SUM. 

innocence  pulled  the  coat  of  armor  straight,  helped  him 
to  buckle  the  breastplate  and  to  fasten  on  the  sword, 
and  as  she  performed  .the  task,  at  which  Hermas  proved 
himself  unskilful  enough,  her  gay  and  pleasant  laugh 
rang  out  again  and  again.  When  he  sought  to  seize 
her  hand,  as  he  not  seldom  did,  she  hit  him  sharply  on 
the  fingers,  and  scolded  him. 

Hernias'  embarrassment  thawed  before  this  pleasant 
sport,  and  soon  he  began  to  tell  her  how  hateful  the 
lonely  life  on  the  mountain  was  to  him.  He  told  her 
that  Petrus  himself  had  advised  him  to  try  his  strength 
out  in  the  world,  and  he  confided  to  her  that  if  his 
father  got  well,  he  meant  to  be  a  soldier,  and  do  great 
deeds.  She  quite  agreed  with  him,  praised  and  en- 
couraged him,  then  she  criticised  his  slovenly  deport- 
ment, showed  him  with  comical  gravity  how  a  warrior 
ought  to  stand  and  walk,  called  herself  his  drill-master, 
and  was  delighted  at  the  zeal  with  which  he  strove  to 
imitate  her. 

In  such  play  the  hours  passed  quickly.  Hermas 
was'  proud  of  himself  in  his  soldierly  garb,  and  was 
happy  in  her  presence  and  in  the  hope  of  future 
triumphs;  and  Sirona  was  gay,  as  she  had  usually  been 
only  when  playing  with  the  children,  so  that  even 
Miriam's  wild  cry,  which  the  youth  explained  to  be  the 
scream  of  an  owl,  only  for  a  moment  reminded  her  of 
the  danger  in  which  she  was  placing  herself.  Petrus' 
slaves  had  long  gone  to  rest  before  she  began  to  weary 
of  amusing  herself  with  Hermas,  and  desired  him  to 
lay  aside  her  husband's  equipment,  and  to  leave  her. 
Hermas  obeyed  while  she  warily  opened  the  shutters, 
and  turning  to  him,  said,  "  You  cannot  venture  through 
the  court-yard;  you  must  go  through  this  window  into 


sti 
he 

br 


HOMO    SUM.  I25 

the  open  street.  But  there  is  some  one  coming  down 
the  road;  let  him  pass  first,  it  will  not  be  long  to  wait, 
for  he  is  walking  quickly." 

She  carefully  drew  the  shutters  to,  and  laughed  to 
see  how  clumsily  Hermas  set  to  work  to  unbuckle  the 
greaves;  but  the  gay  laugh  died  upon  her  lips  when 
the  gate  flew  open,  the  greyhound  and  the  senator's 
watch-dogs  barked  loudly,  and  she  recognized  her 
husband's  voice  as  he  ordered  the  dogs  to  be  quiet. 

"  Fly — fly — for  the  gods'  sake  ! "  she  cried  in  a 
trembling  voice.  With  that  ready  presence  of  mind 
with  which  destiny  arms  the  weakest  woman  in  great 
and  sudden  danger,  she .  extinguished  the  lamp,  flung 
open  the  shutter,  and  pushed  Hermas  to  the  window. 
The  boy  did  not  stay  to  bid  her  farewell,  but  swung 
himself  with  a  strong  leap  down  into  the  road,  and, 
followed  by  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  which  roused  all 
the  neighboring  households,  he  flew  up  the  street  to  the 
little  church. 

He  had  not  got  more  than  half-way  when  he  saw  a 
man  coming  towards  him;  he  sprang  into  the  shadow 
of  a  house,  but  the  belated  walker  accelerated  his  steps, 
and  came  straight  up  to  him.  He  set  off  running  again, 
but  the  other  pursued  him,  and  kept  close  at  his  heels 
till  he  had  passed  all  the  houses  and  began  to  go  up 
the  mountain-path.  Hermas  felt  that  he  was  outstrip- 
ping his  pursuer,  and  was  making  ready  for  a  spring 
over  a  block  of  stone  that  encumbered  the  path,  when 
he  heard  his  name  called  behind  him,  and  he  stood 
still,  for  he  recognized  the  voice  of  the  man  from  whom 
he  was  flying  as  that  of  his  good  friend  Paulus. 

You  indeed"   said  the  Alexandrian,  panting   for 
breath.      "Yes,   you   are   swifter  than  I.     Years  hang 


126  HOMO    SUM. 

lead  on  our  heels,  but  do  you  know  what  it  is  that 
lends  them  the  swiftest  wings  ?  You  have  just  learned 
it!  It  is  a  bad  conscience;  and  pretty  things  will  be 
told  about  you;  the  dogs  have  barked  it  all  out  loud 
enough  to  the  night." 

"And  so  they  may!"  replied  Hermas  defiantly,  and 
trying  in  vain  to  free  himself  from  the  strong  grasp  of 
the  anchorite  who  held  him  firmly.  "I  have  done 
nothing  wrong." 

"Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife!"  inter- 
rupted Paulus  in  a  tone  of  stern  severity.  "You  have 
been  with  the  centurion's  pretty  wife,  and  were  taken 
by  surprise.     Where  is  your  sheepskin?" 

Hermas  started,  felt  on  his  shoulder,  and  ex- 
claimed, striking  his  fist  against  his  forehead,  "  Merciful 
Heaven! — I  have  left  it  there!  The  raging  Gaul  will 
find  it." 

"  He  did  not  actually  see  you  there  ?  "  asked  Paulus 
eagerly. 

"No,  certainly  not,"  groaned  Hermas,  "but  the 
skin—" 

"Well,  well,"  muttered  Paulus.  "Your  sin  is  none 
the  less,  but  something  may  be  done  in  that  case. 
Only  think  if  it  came  to  your  father's  ears;  it  might 
cost  him  his  life." 

"And  that  poor  Sirona!"  sighed  Herjnas. 

"  Leave  me  to  settle  that,"  exclaimed  Paulus.  "  I 
will  make  everything  straight  with  her.  There,  take  my 
sheepskin.  You  will  not?  Well,  to  be  sure,  the  man 
who  does  not  fear  to  commit  adultery  would  make 
nothing  of  becoming  his  father's  murderer. — There,  that 
is  the  way!  fasten  it  together  over  your  shoulders;  you 
will  need  it,  for  you  must  quit  this  spot,  and  not  for 


HOMO    SUM.  127 

to-day  and  to-morrow  only.  You  wanted  to  go  out 
into  the  world,  and  now  you  will  have  the  opportunity 
of  showing  whether  you  really  are  capable  of  walking 
on  your  own  feet.  First  go  to  Raithu  and  greet  the 
pious  Nikon  in  my  name,  and  tell  him  that  I  remain 
here  on  the  mountain,  for  after  long  praying  in  the 
church  I  have  found  myself  unworthy  of  the  office  of 
elder  which  they  offered  me.  Then  get  yourself  car- 
ried by  some  ship's  captain  across  the  Red  Sea,  and 
wander  up  and  down  the  Egyptian  coast.  The  hordes 
of  the  Blemmyes  have  lately  shown  themselves  there; 
keep  your  eye  on  them,  and  when  the  wild  bands  are 
plotting  some  fresh  outbreak  you  can  warn  the  watch 
on  the  mountain-peaks;  how  to  cross  the  sea  and  so 
outstrip  them,  it  will  be  your  business  to  find  out. 
Do  you  feel  bold  enough  and  capable  of  accomplishing 
this  task?  Yes?  So  I  expected!  Now  may  the  Lord 
guide  you.  I  will  take  care  of  your  father,  and  his 
blessing  and  your  mother's  will  rest  upon  you  if  you 
sincerely  repent,  and  if  you  now  do  your  duty." 

"You  shall  learn  that  I  am  a  man,"  cried  Hermas 
with  sparkling  eyes.  "  My  bow  and  arrows  are  lying 
in  your  cave,  I  will  fetch  them  and  then — aye!  you 
shall  see  whether  you  sent  the  right  man  on  the  errand. 
Greet  my  father,  and  once  more  give  me  your  hand." 

Paulus  grasped  the  boy's  right  hand,  drew  him  to 
him,  and  kissed  his  forehead  with  fatherly  tenderness. 
Then  he  said,  "In  my  cave,  under  the  green  stone, 
you  will  find  six  gold-pieces;  take  three  of  them  with 
you  on  your  journey.  You  will  probably  need  them — 
at  any  rate  to  pay  your  passage.  Now  be  off,  and  get 
to  Raithu  in  good  time." 

Hermas  hurried  up  the  mountain,  his  head  full  of 


128  HOMO    SUM. 

the  important  task  that  had  been  laid  upon  him;  daz- 
zling visions  of  the  great  deeds  he  was  to  accomplish 
eclipsed  the  image  of  the  fair  Sirona,  and  he  was  so 
accustomed  to  believe  in  the  superior  insight  and  kind- 
ness of  Paulus  that  he  feared  no  longer  for  Sirona  now 
that  his  friend  had  made  her  affair  his  own. 

The  Alexandrian  looked  after  him,  and  breathed  a 
short  prayer  for  him;  then  he  went  down  again  into 
the  valley. 

It  was  long  past  midnight,  and  the  moon  was  sink- 
ing; it  grew  cooler  and  cooler,  and  since  he  had  given 
his  sheepskin  to  Hennas  he  had  nothing  on,  but  his 
thread-bare  coat.  Nevertheless  he  went  slowly*  on- 
wards, stopping  every  now  and  then,  moving  his  arms, 
and  speaking  incoherent  words  in  a  low  tone  to  him- 
self. 

He  thought  of  Hermas  and  Sirona,  of  his  own 
youth,  and  of  how  in  Alexandria  he  himself  had  tapped 
at  the  shutters  of  the  dark-haired  Aso,  and  the  fair 
Simaitha. 

"A  child — a  mere  boy,"  he  murmured.  "Who 
would  have  thought  it?  The  Gaulish  woman  no 
doubt  may  be  handsome,  and  as  for  him,  it  is  a  fact, 
that  as  he  threw  the  discus  I  was  myself  surprised  at 
his  noble  figure.  And  his  eyes — aye,  he  has  Magdalen's 
eyes!  If  the  Gaul  had  found  him  with  his  wife,  and 
had  run  his  sword  through  his  heart,  he  would  have 
gone  unpunished  by  the  earthly  judge — however,  his 
father  is  spared  this  sorrow.  In  this  desert  the  old  man 
thought  that  his  darling  could  not  be  touched  by  the 
world  and  its  pleasures.  And  now?  These  brambles 
I  once  thought  lay  dried  up  on  the  earth,  and  could 
never  get  up  to  the  top  of  the  palm-tree  where  the 


HOMO    SUM.  129 

dates  ripen,  but  a  bird  flew  by,  and  picked  up  the 
berries,  and  carried  them  into  its  nest  at  the  highest 
point  of  the  tree. 

"Who  can  point  out  the  road  that  another  will  take, 
and  say  to-day,  *  To-morrow  I  shall  find  him  thus  and 
not  otherwise,' 

"We  fools  flee  into  the  desert  in  order  to  forget  the 
world,  and  the  world  pursues  us  and  clings  to  our 
skirts.  Where  are  the  shears  that  are  keen  enough  to 
cut  the  shadow  from  beneath  our  feet?  What  is  the 
prayer  that  can  effectually  release  us — born  of  the 
flesh — from  the  burden  of  the  flesh?  My  Redeemer, 
Thou  Only  One,  who  knowest  it,  teach  it  to  me,  the 
basest  of  the  base." 


CHAPTER  X. 

Within  a  few  minutes  after  Hermas  had  flung  him- 
self out  of  window  into  the  roadway,  Phcebicius  walked 
into  his  sleeping-room.  Sirona  had  had  time  to  throw 
herself  on  to  her  couch;  she  was  terribly  frightened, 
and  had  turned  her  face  to  the  wall.  Did  he  actually 
know  that  some  one  had  been  with  her?  And  who 
could  have  betrayed  her,  and  have  called  him  home? 
Or  could  he  have  come  home  by  accident  sooner  than 
usual? 

It  was  dark  in  the  room,  and  he  could  not  see  her 
face,  and  yet  she  kept  her  eyes  shut  as  if  asleep,  for 
every  fraction  of  a  minute  in  which  she  could  still  es- 
cape seeing  him  in  his  fury  seemed  a  reprieve;  and  yet 
her  heart  beat  so  violently  that  it  seemed  to  her  that  he 


130  HOMO    SUM. 

must  hear  it,  when  he  approached  the  bed  with  a  soft 
step  that  was  peculiar  to  him.  She  heard  him  walk  up 
and  down,  and  at  last  go  into  the  kitchen  that  adjoined 
the  sleeping-room.  In  a  few  moments  she  perceived 
through  her  half-closed  eyes,  that  he  had  brought  in  a 
light;  he  had  lighted  a  lamp  at  the  hearth,  and  now 
searched  both  the  rooms. 

As  yet  he  had  not  spoken  to  her,  nor  opened  his 
lips  to  utter  a  word. 

Now  he  was  in  the  sitting-room,  and  now — involun- 
tarily she  drew  herself  into  a  heap,  and  pulled  the  cov- 
erlet over  her  head — now  he  laughed  aloud,  so  loud 
and  scornfully,  that  she  felt  her  hands  and  feet  turn 
cold,  and  a  rushing  crimson  mist  floated  before  her 
eyes.  Then  the  light  came  back  into  the  bed-room, 
and  came  nearer  and  nearer.  She  felt  her  head  pushed 
by  his  hard  hand,  and  with  a  feeble  scream  she  flung 
off  the  coverlet  and  sat  up. 

Still  he  did  not  speak  a  word,  but  what  she  saw 
was  quite  enough  to  smother  the  last  spark  of  her 
courage  and  hope,  for  her  husband's  eyes  showed  only 
the  whites,  his  sallow  features  were  ashy-pale,  and  on 
his  brow  the  branded  mark  of  Mithras  stood  out  more 
clearly  than  ever.  In  his  right  hand  he  held  the  lamp, 
in  his  left  Hernias'  sheepskin. 

As  his  haggard  eye  met  hers  he  held  the  ancho- 
rite's matted  garment  so  close  to  her  face,  that  it  touched 
her.  Then  he  threw  it  violently  on  the  floor,  and  asked 
in  a  low,  husky  voice,  "  What  is  that  ?  " 

She  was  silent.  He  went  up  to  the  little  table  near 
her  bed;  on  it  stood  her  night-draught  in  a  pretty 
colored  glass,  that  Polykarp  had  brought  her  from  Alex- 
andria as  a  token,  and  with  the  back  of  his  hand  he 


HOMO    SUM.  I31 

swept  it  from  the  table,  so  that  it  fell  on  the  dais,  and 
flew  with  a  crash  into  a  thousand  fragments.  She 
screamed,  the  greyhound  sprang  up  and  barked  at  the 
Gaul.  He  seized  the  little  beast's  collar,  and  flung  it 
so  violently  across  the  room,  that  it  uttered  a  pitiful  cry 
of  pain.  The  dog  had  belonged  to  Sirona  since  she 
was  quite  a  girl,  it  had  come  with  her  to  Rome,  and 
from  thence  to  the  oasis;  it  clung  to  her  with  affection, 
and  she  to  it,  for  Iambe  liked  no  one  to  caress  and 
stroke  her  so  much  as  her  mistress.  She  was  so  much 
alone,  and  the  greyhound  was  always  with  her,  and  not 
only  entertained  her  by  such  tricks  as  any  other  dog 
might  have  learned,  but  was  to  her  a  beloved,  dumb, 
but  by  no  means  deaf,  companion  from  her  early  home, 
who  would  prick  its  ears  when  she  spoke  the  name  of 
her  dear  little  sisters  in  distant  Arelas,  from  whom  she 
had  not  heard  for  years;  or  it  would  look  sadly  in  her 
face,  and  kiss  her  white  hands,  when  longing  forced 
tears  into  her  eyes. 

In  her  solitary,  idle,  childless  existence  Iambe  was 
much,  very  much,  to  her,  and  now  as  she  saw  her  faith- 
ful companion  and  friend  creep  ill-treated  and  whining 
up  to  her  bed — as  the  supple  animal  tried  in  vain  to 
spring  up  and  take  refuge  in  her  lap,  and  held  out  to 
his  mistress  his  trembling,  perhaps  broken,  little  paw, 
fear  vanished  from  the  miserable  young  woman's  heart 
— she  sprang  from  her  couch,  took  the  little  dog  in  her 
arms,  and  exclaimed  with  a  glance,  which  flashed  with 
anything  rather  than  fear  or  repentance:  "You  do  not 
touch  the  poor  little  beast  again,  if  you  take  my  advice." 

"  I  will  drown  it  to-morrow  morning,"  replied  Phceb- 
icius  with  perfect  indifference,  but  with  an  evil  smile  on 
his  flaccid  lips.     "So  many  two-legged   lovers    make 


132  HOMO    SUM. 

themselves  free  to  my  house,  that  I  do  not  see  why  I 
should  share  your  affections  with  a  quadruped  into  the 
bargain.  How  came  this  sheepskin  here?"  Sirona 
vouchsafed  no  answer  to  this  last  question,  but  she  ex- 
claimed in  great  excitement,  "By  God — by  your  God 
— by  the  mighty  Rock,  and  by  all  the  gods !  if  you  do 
the  little  beast  a  harm,  it  will  be  the  last  day  I  stop  in 
your  house." 

" Hear  her! "  said  the  centurion,  "and  where  do  you 
propose  to  travel  to  ?  The  desert  is  wide  and  there  is 
room  and  to  spare  to  starve  in  it,  and  for  your  bones  to 
bleach  there.  How  grieved  your  lovers  would  be — for 
their  sakes  I  will  take  care  before  drowning  the  dog  to 
lock  in  its  mistress." 

"Only  try  to  touch  me,"  screamed  Sirona  beside 
herself,  and  springing  to  the  window.  "  If  you  lay  a 
finger  on  me,  I  will  call  for  help,  and  Dorothea  and  her 
husband  will  protect  me  against  you." 

"Hardly,"  answered  Phcebicius  drily.  "It  would 
suit  you  no  doubt  to  find  yourself  under  the  same  roof 
as  that  great  boy  who  brings  you  colored  glass,  and 
throws  roses  into  your  window,  and  perhaps  has  strewed 
the  road  with  them  by  which  he  found  his  way  to  you 
to-day.  But  there  are  nevertheless  laws  which  protect 
the  Roman  citizen  from  criminals  and  impudent  se- 
ducers. You  were  always  a  great  deal  too  much  in  the 
house  over  there,  and  you  have  exchanged  your  games, 
with  the  little  screaming  beggars  for  one  with  the  grown- 
up child,  the  rose-thrower — the  fop,  who,  for  your  sake, 
and  not  to  be  recognized,  covers  up  his  purple  coat 
with  a  sheepskin!  Do  you  think,  you  can  teach  me 
anything  about  lovesick  night- wanderers  and  women  ? 
I  see  through  it  all!     Not  one  step  do  you  set  hence- 


HOMO    SUM.  133 

forth  across  Petrus'  threshold.  There  is  the  open  win- 
dow— scream — scream  as  loud  as  you  will,  and  let  all 
the  people  know  of  your  disgrace.  I  have  the  greatest 
mind  to  carry  this  sheepskin  to  the  judge,  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning.  I  shall  go  now,  and  set  the  room 
behind  the  kitchen  in  order  for  you;  there  is  no  win- 
dow there  through  which  men  in  sheepskin  can  get  in- 
to my  house.  You  shall  live  there  till  you  are  tamed, 
and  kiss  my  feet,  and  confess  what  has  been  going  on 
here  to-night.  I  shall  learn  nothing  from  the  senator's 
slaves,  that  I  very  well  know;  for  you  have  turned  all 
their  heads  too — they  grin  with  delight  when  they  see 
you.  All  friends  are  made  welcome  by  you,  even  when 
they  wear  nothing  but  sheepskin.  But  they  may  do 
what  they  please — I  have  the  right  keeper  for  you  in 
my  own  hand.  I  am  going  at  once — you  may  scream 
if  you  like,  but  I  should  myself  prefer  that  you  should 
keep  quiet.  As  to  the  dog,  we  have  not  yet  heard  the 
last  of  the  matter;  for  the  present  I  will  keep  him  here. 
If  you  are  quiet" and  come  to  your  senses,  he  may  live 
for  aught  I  care;  but  if  you  are  refractory,  a  rope 
and  a  stone  can  soon  be  found,  and  the  stream  runs 
close  below.  You  know  I  never  jest — least  of  all  just 
now." 

Sirona's  whole  frame  was  in  the  most  violent  agita- 
taion.  Her  breath  came  quickly,  her  limbs  trembled, 
but  she  could  not  find  words  to  answer  him. 

Phcebicius  saw  what  was  passing  in  her  mind,  and 
he  went  on,  "You  may  snort  proudly  now;  but  an  hour 
will  come  when  you  will  crawl  up  to  me  like  your  lame 
•dog,  and  pray  for  mercy.  I  have  another  idea — you 
will  want  a  couch  in  the  dark  room,  and  it  must  be  soft, 
or  I  shall  be  blamed;    I  will  spread  out  the  sheepskin 


134  HOMO    SUM. 

for  you.  You  see  I  know  how  to  value  your  adorer's 
offerings." 

The  Gaul  laughed  loud,  seized  the  hermit's  garment, 
and  went  with  the  lamp  into  the  dark  room  behind  the 
kitchen,  in  which  vessels  and  utensils  of  various  sorts 
were  kept.  These  he  set  on  one  side  to  turn  it  into 
a  sleeping-room  for  his  wife,  of  whose  guilt  he  was 
fully  convinced. 

Who  the  man  was  for  whose  sake  she  had  dis- 
honored him,  he  knew  not,  for  Miriam  had  said  nothing 
more  than,  "Go  home,  your  wife  is  laughing  with  her 
lover." 

While  her  husband  was  still  threatening  and  storm- 
ing, Sirona  had  said  to  herself,  that  she  would  rather 
die  than  live  any  longer  with  this  man.  That  she  her- 
self was  not  free  from  fault  never  occurred  to  her  mind. 
He  who  is  punished  more  severely  than  he  deserves, 
easily  overlooks  his  own  fault  in  his  feeling  of  the 
judge's  injustice. 

Phcebicius  was  right;  neither  Petrus  nor  Dorothea 
had  it  in  their  power  to  protect  her  against  him,  a 
Roman  citizen.  If  she  could  not  contrive  to  help  her- 
self she  was  a  prisoner,  and  without  air,  light,  and  free- 
dom she  could  not  live.  During  his  last  speech  her 
resolution  had  been  quickly  matured,  and  hardly  had 
he  turned  his  back  and  crossed  the  threshold,  than  she 
hurried  up  to  her  bed,  wrapped  the  trembling  grey- 
hound in  the  coverlet,  took  it  in  her  arms  like  a  child, 
and  ran  into  the  sitting-room  with  her  light  burden; 
the  shutters  were  still  open  of  the  window  through 
which  Hermas  had  fled  into  the  open.  With  the  help 
of  a  stool  she  took  the  same  way,  let  herself  slip  down 
from  the  sill  into  the  street,  and  hastened  on  without 


HOMO    SUM. 


*35 


aim  or  goal — inspired  only  by  the  wish  to  escape 
durance  in  the  dark  room,  and  to  burst  every  bond  that 
tied  her  to  her  hated  mate — up  the  church-hill  and 
along  the  road  which  lead  over  the  mountain  to  the 
sea. 

Phoebicius  gave  her  a  long  start,  for  after  having 
arranged  her  prison  he  remained  some  time  in  the  little 
room  behind  the  kitchen,  not  in  order  to  give  her  time, 
collect  his  thoughts  or  to  reflect  on  his  future  action, 
but  simply  because  he  felt  utterly  exhausted. 

The  centurion  was  nearly  sixty  years  of  age,  and 
his  frame,  originally  a  powerful  one,  was  now  broken 
by  every  sort  of  dissipation,  and  could  no  longer  resist 
the  effects  of  the  strain  and  excitement  of  this  night. 

The  lean,  wiry,  and  very  active  man  did  not  usually 
fall  into  these  fits  of  total  enervation  excepting  in  the 
daytime,  for  after  sundown  a  wonderful  change  would 
come  over  the  gray-headed  veteran,  who  nevertheless 
still  displayed  much  youthful  energy  in  the  exercise  of 
his  official  duties.  At  night  his  drooping  eyelids,  that 
almost  veiled  his  eyes,  opened  more  wildly,  his  flaccid 
hanging  under-lip  closed  firmly,  his  long  neck  and 
narrow  elongated  head  were  held  erect,  and  when,  at  a 
later  hour,  he  went  out  to  drinking-bouts  or  to  the 
service  in  honor  of  Mithras,  he  might  often  still  be 
taken  for  a  fine,  indomitable  young  man. 

But  when  he  was  drunk  he  was  no  longer  gay,  but 
wild,  braggart,  and  noisy.  It  frequently  happened  that 
before  he  left  the  carouse,  while  he  was  still  in  the 
midst  of  his  boon-companions,  the  syncope  would  come 
upon  him  which  had  so  often  alarmed  Sirona,  and  from 
which  he  could  never  feel  perfectly  safe  even  when  he 
was  on  duty  at  the  head  of  his  soldiers. 


136  HOMO    SUM. 

The  vehement  big  man  in  such  moments  offered  a 
terrible  image  of  helpless  impotence;  the  paleness  of 
death  would  overspread  his  features,  his  back  was  as  if 
it  were  broken,  and  he  lost  his  control  over  every  limb. 
His  eyes  only  continued  to  move,  and  now  and  then  a 
shudder  shook  his  frame.  His  people  said  that  when 
he  was  in  this  condition,  the  centurion's  ghastly  demon 
had  entered  into  him,  and  he  himself  believed  in  this 
evil  spirit,  and  dreaded  it;  nay,  he  had  attempted  to  be 
released  through  heathen  spells,  and  even  through 
Christian  exorcisms.  Now  he  sat  in  the  dark  room  on 
the  sheepfell,  which  in  scorn  of  his  wife  he  had  spread 
on  a  hard  wooden  bench.  His  hands  and  feet  turned 
cold,  his  eyes  glowed,  and  the  power  to  move  even  a 
linger  had  wholly  deserted  him;  only  his  lips  twitched, 
and  his  inward  eye,  looking  back  on  the  past  with  pre- 
ternaturally  sharpened  vision,  saw,  far  away  and  beyond, 
the  last  frightful  hour. 

"  If,"  thought  he,  "  after  my  mad  run  down  to  the 
oasis,  which  few  younger  men  could  have  vied  with,  I 
had  given  the  reins  to  my  fury  instead  of  restraining  it, 
the  demon  would  not  have  mastered  me  so  easily. 
How  that  devil  Miriam's  eyes  flashed  as  she  told  me 
that  a  man  was  betraying  me.  She  certainly  must  have 
seen  the  wearer  of  the  sheepskin,  but  I  lost  sight  of  her 
before  I  reached  the  oasis;  I  fancy  she  turned  and 
went  up  the  mountain.  What  indeed  might  not  Sirona 
have  done  to  her?  That  woman  snares  all  hearts  with 
her  eyes  as  a  bird-catcher  snares  birds  with  his  flute. 
How  the  fine  gentlemen  ran  after  her  in  Rome !  Did 
she  dishonor  me  there,  I  wonder?  She  dismissed  the 
Legate  Quintillus,  who  was  so  anxious  to  please  me — I 
may  thank  that  fool  of  a  woman  that  he  became  my 


HOMO    SUM.  137 

enemy — but  he  was  older  even  than  I,  and  she  likes 
young  men  best.  She  is  like  all  the  rest  of  them,  and 
I  of  all  men  might  have  known  it.  It  is  the  way  of  the 
world:  to-day  one  gives  a  blow  and  to-morrow  takes 
one." 

A  sad  smile  passed  over  his  lips,  then  his  features 
settled  into  a  stern  gravity,  for  various  unwelcome 
images  rose  clearly  before  his  mind,  and  would  not  be 
got  rid  of. 

His  conscience  stood  in  inverse  relation  to  the 
vigor  of  his  body.  When  he  was  well,  his  too  darkly 
stained  past  life  troubled  him  little;  but  when  he  was 
unmanned  by  weakness,  he  was  incapable  of  fighting 
the  ghastly  demon  that  forced  upon  his  memory  in 
painful  vividness  those  very  deeds  which  he  would  most 
willingly  have  forgotten.  In  such  hours  he  must  need 
remember  his  friend,  his  benefactor,  and  superior  officer, 
the  Tribune  Servianus,  whose  fair  young  wife  he  had 
tempted  with  a  thousand  arts  to  forsake  her  husband 
and  child,  and  fly  with  him  into  the  wide  world;  and 
at  this  moment  a  bewildering  illusion  made  him  fancy 
that  he  was  the  Tribune  Servianus,  and  yet  at  the  same 
time  himself.  Every  hour  of  pain,  and  the  whole  bitter 
anguish  that  his  betrayed  benefactor  had  suffered 
through  his  act  when  he  had  seduced  Glycera,  he  him- 
self now  seemed  to  realize,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
enemy  that  had  betrayed  him,  Servianus,  was  none 
other  than  himself,  Phcebicius,  the  Gaul.  He  tried  to 
protect  himself  and  meditated  revenge  against  the 
seducer,  and  still  he  could  not  altogether  lose  the  sense 
of  his  own  identity. 

This  whirl  of  mad  imagining,  which  he  vainly  en- 
deavored to  make  clear  to  himself,  threatened  to  dis- 


138  HOMO    SUM. 

tract  his  reason,  and  he  groaned  aloud;  the  sound  of 
his  own  voice  brought  him  back  to  actuality. 

He  was  Phcebicius  again  and  not  another,  thar  he 
knew  now,  and  yet  he  could  not  completely  bring  him- 
self to  comprehend  the  situation.  The  image  of  the 
lovely  Glycera,  who  had  followed  him  to  Alexandriar 
and  whom  he  had  there  abandoned,  when  he  had 
squandered  his  last  piece  of  money  and  her  last  costly 
jewels  in  the  Greek  city,  no  longer  appeared  to  him 
alone,  but  always  side  by  side  with  his  wife  Sirona. 

Glycera  had  been  a  melancholy  sweetheart,  who 
had  wept  much,  and  laughed  little  after  running  away 
from  her  husband;  he  fancied  he  could  hear  her  speak- 
ing soft  words  of  reproach,  while  Sirona  defied  him  with 
loud  threats,  and  dared  to  nod  and  signal  to  the  sena- 
tor's son  Polykarp. 

The  weary  dreamer  angrily  shook  himself,  collected 
his  thoughts,  doubled  his  fist,  and  lifted  it  angrily ;  this 
movement  was  the  first  sign  of  returning  physical 
energy;  he  stretched  his  limbs  like  a  man  awaking  from 
sleep,  rubbed  his  eyes,  pressed  his  hands  to  his  temples; 
by  degrees  full  consciousness  returned  to  him,  and  with 
it  the  recollection  of  all  that  had  occurred  in  the  last 
hour  or  two. 

He  hastily  left  the  dark  room,  refreshed  himself  in 
the  kitchen  with  a  gulp  of  wine,  and  went  up  to  the 
open  window  to  gaze  at  the  stars. 
•  It  was  long  past  midnight;  he  was  reminded  of  his 
companions  now  sacrificing  on  the  mountain,  and 
addressed  a  long  prayer  "to  the  crown,"  "the  invinci- 
ble sun-god,"  "the  great  light,"  "the  god  begotten  oi 
the  rock,"  and  to  many  other  names  of  Mithras;  for 
since  he  had  belonged  to  the  mystics  of  this  divinity  > 


HOMO    SUM.  139 

he  had  become  a  zealous  devotee,  and  could  fast  too 
with  extraordinary  constancy.  He  had  already  passed 
through  several  of  the  eighty  trials,  to  which  a  man 
had  to  subject  himself  before  he  could  attain  to  the 
highest  grades  of  the  initiated,  and  the  weakness  which 
had  just  now  overpowered  him,  had  attacked  him  for 
the  first  time,  after  he  had  for  a  whole  week  lain  for 
hours  in  the  snow,  besides  fasting  severely,  in  order  to 
attain  the  grade  of  "lion." 

Sirona's  rigorous  mind  was  revolted  by  all  these 
practices,  and  the  decision  with  which  she  had  always 
refused  to  take  any  part  in  them,  had  widened  the 
breach  which,  without  that,  parted  her  from  her  hus- 
band. Phcebicius  was,  in  his  fashion,  very  much  in 
earnest  with  all  these  things;  for  they  alone  saved  him 
in  some  measure  from  himself,  from  dark  memories,  and 
from  the  fear  of  meeting  the  reward  of  his  evil  deeds 
in  a  future  life,  while  Sirona  found  her  best  comfort  in 
the  remembrance  of  her  early  life,  and  so  gathered 
courage  to  endure  the  miserable  present  cheerfully,  and 
to  hold  fast  to  hope  for  better  times. 

Phoebicius  ended  his  prayer  to-day — a  prayer  for 
strength  to  break  his  wife's  strong  spirit,  for  a  success- 
ful issue  to  his  revenge  on  her  seducer — ended  it  with- 
out haste,  and  with  careful  observance  of  all  the  pre- 
scribed forms.  Then  he  took  two  strong  ropes  from 
the  wall,  pulled  himself  up,  straight  and  proud,  as  if  he 
were  about  to  exhort  his  soldiers  to  courage  before  a 
battle,  cleared  his  throat  like  an  orator  in  the  Forum 
before  he  begins  his  discourse,  and  entered  the  bed- 
room with  a  dignified  demeanor.  Not  the  smallest 
suspicion  of  the  possibility  of  her  escape  troubled  his 
sense  of  security,  when,  not  finding  Sirona  in  the  sleep- 


140  HOMO    SUM. 

ing-room,  he  went  into  the  sitting-room  to   carry  out 
the  meditated  punishment.     Here  again — no  one. 

He  paused  in  astonishment ;  but  the  thought  that 
she  could  have  fled  appeared  to  him  so  insane,  that  he 
immediately  and  decisively  dismissed  it.  No  doubt  she 
feared  his  wrath,  and  was  hidden  under  her  bed  or  be- 
hind the  curtain  which  covered  his  clothes.  "The 
dog,"  thought  he,  "  is  still  cowering  by  her — "  and  he 
began  to  make  a  noise,  half  whistling  and  half  hissing, 
which  Iambe  could  not  bear,  and  which  always  pro- 
voked her  to  bark  angrily — but  in  vain.  All  was  still 
in  the  vacant  room,  still  as  death.  He  was  now  se- 
riously anxious ;  at  first  deliberately,  and  then  with 
rapid  haste,  he  threw  the  light  under  every  vessel,  into 
every  corner,  behind  every  cloth,  and  rummaged  in 
places  that  not  even  a  child — nay  hardly  a  frightened 
bird  could  have  availed  itself  of  for  concealment.  At 
last  his  right  hand  fairly  dropped  the  ropes,  and  his  left, 
in  which  he  held  the  lamp,  began  to  tremble.  He  found 
the  shutters  of  the  sleeping-room  open,  where  Sirona 
had  been  sitting  on  the  seat  looking  at  the  moon,  before 
Hermas  had  come  upon  the  scene.  "  Then  she  is  not 
here!"  he  muttered,  and  setting  the  lamp  on  the  little 
table,  from  which  he  had  just  now  flung  Polykarp's 
glass,  he  tore  open  the  door,  and  hurried  into  the  court- 
yard. That  she  could  have  swung  herself  out  into  the 
the  road,  and  have  set  out  in  the  night  for  the  open 
desert,  had  not  yet  entered  into  his  mind.  He  shook 
the  door  that  closed  in  the  homestead,  and  found  it 
locked;  the  watch-dogs  roused  themselves,  and  gave 
tongue,  when  Phcebicius  turned  to  Petrus'  house,  and 
began  to  knock  at  the  door  with  the  brazen  knocker, 
at  first  softly  and  then  with  growing  anger;    he  con- 


homo  sum.  14 r 

sidered  it  as  certain  that  his  wife  had  sought  and  found 
protection  under  the  senator's  roof.  He  could  have 
shouted  with  rage  and  anguish,  and  yet  he  hardly 
thought  of  his  wife  and  the  danger  of  losing  her,  but 
only  of  Polykarp  and  the  disgrace  he  had  wrought  upon 
him,  and  the  reparation  he  would  exact  from  him,  and 
his  parents,  who  had  dared  to  tamper  with  his  house- 
hold rights — his,  the  imperial  centurion's. 

What  was  Sirona  to  him  ?  In  the  flush  of  an  hour 
of  excitement  he  had  linked  her  destiny  to  his. 

At  Arelas,  about  two  years  since,  one  of  his  com- 
rades had  joined  their  circle  of  boon-companions,  and 
had  related  that  he  had  been  the  witness  of  a  remark- 
able scene.  A  number  of  young  fellows  had  surrounded 
a  boy  and  had  unmercifully  beaten  him — he  himself 
knew  not  wherefore.  The  little  one  had  defended  him- 
self bravely,  but  was  at  last  overcome  by  numbers. 
"  Then  suddenly,"  continued  the  soldier,  "  the  door  of 
a  house  near  the  circus  opened,  and  a  young  girl  with 
long  golden  hair  flew  out,  and  drove  the  boys  to  flight, 
and  released  the  victim,  her  brother,  from  his  tor- 
mentors. She  looked  like  a  lioness,"  cried  the  narra- 
tor, "  Sirona  she  is  called,  and  of  all  the  pretty  girls  of 
Arelas,  she  is  beyond  a  doubt  the  prettiest."  This 
opinion  was  confirmed  on  all  sides,  and  Phcebicius, 
who  at  that  time  had  just  been  admitted  to  the  grade 
of  "  lion  "  among  the  worshippers  of  Mithras,  and  liked 
very  well  to  hear  himself  called  "  the  lion,"  exclaimed, 
"  I  have  long  been  seeking  a  lioness,  and  here  it  seems 
to  me  that  I  have  found  one.  Phoebicius  and  Sirona — 
the  two  names  sound  very  finely  together." 

On  the  following  day  he  asked  Sirona  of  her  father 
for  his  wife,  and  as  he  had  to  set  out  for  Rome  in  a  few 


142  HOMO    SUM. 

days  the  wedding  was  promptly  celebrated.  She  had 
never  before  quitted  Arelas,  and  knew  not  what  she 
was  giving  up,  when  she  took  leave  of  her  father's 
house  perhaps  for  ever.  In  Rome  Phoebicius  and  his 
young  wife  met  again ;  there  many  admired  the  beau- 
tiful woman,  and  made  every  effort  to  obtain  her  favor, 
but  to  him  she  was  only  a  lightly  won,  and  therefore  a 
lightly  valued,  possession;  nay,  ere  long  no  more  than 
a  burden,  ornamental  no  doubt  but  troublesome  to 
guard.  When  presently  his  handsome  wife  attracted 
the  notice  of  the  legate,  he  endeavored  to  gain  profit 
and  advancement  through  her,  but  Sirona  had  rebuffed 
Quintillus  with  such  insulting  disrespect,  that  his  superior 
officer  became  the  centurion's  enemy,  and  contrived  to 
procure  his  removal  to  the  oasis,  which  was  tantamount 
to  banishment. 

From  that  time  he  had  regarded  her  too  as  his 
enemy,  and  firmly  believed  that  she  designedly  showed 
herself  most  friendly  to  those  who  seemed  most  obnox- 
ious to  him,  and  among  these  he  reckoned  Polykarp. 

Once  more  the  knocker  sounded  on  the  senator's 
door;  it  opened,  and  Petrus  himself  stood  before  the 
raging  Gaul,  a  lamp  in  his  hand. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  unfortunate  Paulus  sat  on  a  stone  bench  in 
front  of  the  senator's  door,  and  shivered ;  for,  as  dawn 
approached,  the  night-air  grew  cooler,  and  he  was  ac- 
customed to  the  warmth  of  the  sheepskin,  which  he  had 
now  given  to  Hermas.     In.  his  hand  he  held  the  key  of 


HOMO    SUM.  143 

the  church,  which  he  had  promised  the  door-keeper  to 
deliver  to  Petrus;  but  all  was  so  still  in  the  senator's 
house,  that  he  shrank  from  rousing  the  sleepers. 

"  What  a  strange  night  this  has  been ! "  he  muttered 
to  himself,  as  he  drew  his  short  and  tattered  tunic 
closer  together.  "  Even  if  it  were  warmer,  and  if,  in- 
stead of  this  threadbare  rag,  I  had  a  sack  of  feathers 
to  wrap  myself  in,  still  I  should  feel  a  cold  shiver  if  the 
spirits  of  hell  that  wander  about  here  were  to  meet  me 
again.  Now  I  have  actually  seen  one  with  my  own 
eyes.  Demons  in  women's  form  rush  up  the  mountain 
out  of  the  oasis  to  tempt  and  torture  us  in  our  sleep. 
What  could  it  have  been  that  the  goblin  in  a  white 
robe  and  with  flowing  hair  held  in  its  arms  ?  Very 
likely  the  stone  with  which  the  incubus  loads  our  breast 
when  he  torments  us.  The  other  one  seemed  to  fly, 
but  I  did  not  see  its  wings.  That  side-building  must 
be  where  the  Gaul  lives  with  his  ungodly  wife,  who  has 
ensnared  my  poor  Hermas.  I  wonder  whether  she  is 
really  so  beautiful!  But  what  can  a  youth  who  has 
grown  up  among  rocks  and  caves  know  of  the  charms 
of  women.  He  would,  of  course,  think  the  first  who 
looked  kindly  at  him  the  most  enchanting  of  her  sex. 
Besides  she  is  fair,  and  therefore  a  rare  bird  among  the 
sunburnt  bipeds  of  the  desert.  The  centurion  surely 
cannot  have  found  the  sheepskin  or  all  would  not  be 
so  still  here;  once  since  I  have  been  here  an  ass  has 
brayed,  once  a  camel  has  groaned,  and  now  already 
the  first  cock  is  crowing ;  but  not  a  sound  have  I  heard 
from  human  lips,  not  even  a  snore  from  the  stout  sen- 
ator or  his  buxom  wife  Dorothea,  and  it  would  be 
strange  indeed  if  they  did  not  both  snore." 

He  rose,   went   up   to  the  window   of  Phcebicius' 


144  HOMO    SUM. 

dwelling,  and  listened  at  the  half  open  shutters,  but  all 
was  still. 

An  hour  ago  Miriam  had  been  listening  under 
Sirona's  room;  after  betraying  her  to  Phoebicius  she 
had  followed  him  at  a  distance,  and  had  slipped  back 
into  the  court-yard  through  the  stables;  she  felt  that 
she  must  learn  what  was  happening  within,  and  what 
fate  had  befallen  Hennas  and  Sirona  at  the  hands  of 
the  infuriated  Gaul.  She  was  prepared  for  anything, 
and  the  thought  that  the  centurion  might  have  killed 
them  both  with  the  sword  filled  her  with  bitter-sweet 
satisfaction.  Then,  seeing^.the  light  through  the  crack 
between  the  partly  open  wooden  shutters,  she  softly 
pushed  them  farther  apart,  and,  resting  her  bare  feet 
against  the  wall,  she  raised  herself  to  look  in. 

She  saw  Sirona  sitting  up  upon  her  couch,  and  oppo- 
site to  her  the  Gaul  with  pale  distorted  features ;  at  his 
feet  lay  the  sheepskin ;  in  his  right  hand  he  held  the 
lamp,  and  its  light  fell  on  the  paved  floor  in  front  of  the 
bed,  and  was  reflected  in  a  large  dark  red  pool. 

"  That  is  blood,"  thought  she,  and  she  shuddered 
and  closed  her  eyes. 

When  she  reopened  them  she  saw  Sirona's  face  with 
crimson  cheeks,  turned  towards  her  husband;  she  was 
unhurt — but  Hermas? 

"That  is  his  blood!"  she  thought  with  anguish,  and 
a  voice  seemed  to  scream  in  her  very  heart,  "  I,  his  mur- 
deress, have  shed  it." 

Her  hands  lost  their  hold  of  the  shutters,  her  feet 
touched  the  pavement  of  the  yard,  and,  driven  by  her 
bitter  anguish  of  soul,  she  fled  out  by  the  way  she  had 
come — out  into  the  open  and  up  to  the  mountain.  She 
felt  that  rather  would  she  defy  the  prowling  panthers, 


HOMO    SUM. 


145 


the  night-chill,  hunger  and  thirst,  than  appear  again  be- 
fore Dame  Dorothea,  the  senator,  and  Marthana,  with 
this  guilt  on  her  soul;  and  the  flying  Miriam  was  one 
of  the  goblin  forms  that  had  terrified  Paul  us. 

The  patient  anchorite  sat  down  again  on  the  stone 
seat.  "  The  frost  is  really  cruel,"  thought  he,  "  and  a 
very  good  thing  is  such  a  woolly  sheepskin;  but  the 
Saviour  endured  far  other  sufferings  than  these,  and  for 
what  did  I  quit  the  world  but  to  imitate  Him,  and  to 
endure  to  the  end  here  that  I  may  win  the  joys  of  the 
other  world.  There,  where  angels  soar,  man  will  need 
no  wretched  ram's  fell,  an^this  time  certainly  selfish- 
ness has  been  far  from  me,  for  I  really  and  truly  suffer 
for  another — I  am  freezing  for  Hermas,  and  to  spare 
the  old  man  pain.  I  would  it  were  even  colder!  Nay, 
I  will  never,  absolutely  never  again  lay  a  sheepskin  over 
my  shoulders." 

Paulus  nodded  his  head  as  if  to  signify  assent  to 
his  own  resolve;  but  presently  he  looked  graver,  for 
again  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  walking  in  a  wrong 
path. 

"Aye!  Man  achieves  a  handful  of  good,  and  forth- 
with his  heart  swells  with  a  camel-load  of  pride.  What 
though  my  teeth  are  chattering,  I  am  none  the  less  a 
most  miserable  creature.  How  it  tickled  my  vanity,  in 
spite  of  all  my  meditations  and  scruples,  when  they 
came  from  Raithu  and  offered  me  the  office  of  elder;  I 
felt  more  triumphant  the  first  time  I  won  with  the  quad- 
riga, but  I  was  scarcely  more  puffed  up  with  pride  then, 
than  I  was  yesterday.  How  many  who  think  to  follow 
the  Lord  strive  only  to  be  exalted  as  He  is;  they  keep 
well  out  of  the  way  of  His  abasement.  Thou,  O  Thou 
Most  High,  art  my  witness  that  I  earnestly  seek  it,  but 


146  HOMO    SUM. 

so  soon  as  the  thorns  tear  my  flesh  the  drops  of  blood 
turn  to  roses,  and  if  I  put  them  aside,  others  come  and 
still  fling  garlands  in  my  way.  I  verily  believe  that  it 
is  as  hard  here  on  earth  to  find  pain  without  pleasure, 
as  pleasure  without  pain." 

While  thus  he  meditated  his  teeth  chattered  with 
cold,  but  suddenly  his  reflections  were  interrupted, 
for  the  dogs  set  up  a  loud  barking.  Phcebicius  was 
knocking  at  the  senator's  door. 

Paulus  rose  at  once,  and  approached  the  gate-way. 
He  could  hear  every  word  that  was  spoken  in  the 
court-yard;  the  deep  voice  was  the  senator's,  the  high 
sharp  tones  must  be  the  centurion's. 

Phcebicius  was  demanding  his  wife  back  from  Petrus, 
as  she  had  hidden  in  his  house,  while  Petrus  positively 
declared  that  Sirona  had  not  crossed  his  threshold  since 
the  morning  of  the  previous  day. 

In  spite  of  the  vehement  and  indignant  tones  in 
which  his  lodger  spoke,  the  senator  remained  perfectly 
calm,  and  presently  went  away  to  ask  his  wife  whether 
she  by  chance,  while  he  was  asleep,  had  opened  the 
house  to  the  missing  woman.  Paulus  heard  the  sol- 
dier's steps  as  he  paced  up  and  down  the  court-yard,  but 
they  soon  ceased,  for  Dame  Dorothea  appeared  at  the 
door  with  her  husband,  and  on  her  part  emphatically 
declared  that  she  knew  nothing  of  Sirona. 

"Your  son  Polykarp  then,"  interrupted  Phcebicius, 
"will  be  better  informed  of  her  whereabouts." 

"My  son  has  been  since  yesterday  at  Raithu  on 
business,"  said  Petrus  resolutely  but  evasively;  "we  ex- 
pect him  home  to-day  only." 

"  It  would  seem  that  he  has  been  quick,  and  has  re- 
turned much  sooner,"  retorted  Phcebicius.    "  Our  prep- 


HOMO    SUM.  147 

arations  for  sacrificing  on  the  mountain  were  no  secret, 
and  the  absence  of  the  master  of  the  house  is  the 
opportunity  for  thieves  to  break  in — above  all,  for 
lovers  who  throw  roses  into  their  ladies'  windows.  You 
Christians  boast  that  you  regard  the  marriage  tie  as 
sacred,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  you  apply  the  rule  only 
to  your  fellow-believers.  Your  sons  may  make  free  to 
take  their  pleasure  among  the  wives  of  the  heathen;  it 
only  remains  to  be  proved  whether  the  heathen  hus- 
bands will  be  trifled  with  or  not.  So  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, I  am  inclined  for  anything  rather  than  jesting. 
I  would  have  you  to  understand  that  I  will  never  let 
Caesar's  uniform,  which  I  wear,  be  stained  by  disgrace, 
and  that  I  am  minded  to  search  your  house,  and  if  I 
find  my  undutiful  wife  and  your  son  within  its  walls,  I 
will  carry  them  and  you  before  the  judge,  and  sue  for 
my  rights." 

"You  will  seek  in  vain,"  replied  Petrus,  command- 
ing himself  with  difficulty.  "  My  word  is  yea  or  nay, 
and  I  repeat  once  more  no,  we  harbor  neither  her  nor 
him.  As  for  Dorothea  and  myself — neither  of  us  is  in- 
clined to  interfere  in  your  concerns,  but  neither  will  we 
permit  another — be  he  whom  he  may — to  interfere  in 
ours.  This  threshold  shall  never  be  crossed  by  any  but 
those  to  whom  I  grant  permission,  or  by  the  emperor's 
judge,  to  whom  I  must  yield.  You,  I  forbid  to  enter. 
Sirona  is  not  here,  and  you  would  do  better  to  seek  her 
elsewhere  than  to  fritter  away  your  time  here." 

"I  do  not  require  your  advice!"  cried  the  centurion 
wrathfully. 

"And  I,"  retorted  Petrus,  "do  not  feel  myself  called 
upon  to  arrange  your  matrimonial  difficulties.  Besides 
you  can  get  back  Sirona  without  our  help,  for  it  is  al- 


I48  HOMO    SUM. 

ways  more  difficult  to  keep  a  wife  safe  in  the  house,  than 
to  fetch  her  back  when  she  has  run  away." 

"You  shall  learn  whom  you  have  to  deal  with'" 
threatened  the  centurion,  and  he  threw  a  glance  round 
at  the  slaves,  who  had  collected  in  the  court,  and  who 
had  been  joined  by  the  senator's  eldest  son.  "I  shall 
call  my  people  together  at  once,  and  if  you  have  the 
seducer  among  you  we  will  intercept  his  escape." 

"  Only  wait  an  hour,"  said  Dorothea,  now  taking  up 
the  word,  while  she  gently  touched  her  husband's  hand, 
for  his  self-control  was  almost  exhausted,  "and  you  will 
see  Polykarp  ride  home  on  his  father's  horse.  Is  it 
only  from  the  roses  that  my  son  threw  into  your  wife's 
window,  that  you  suppose  him  to  be  her  seducer — she 
plays  so  kindly  with  all  his  brothers  and  sisters — or  are 
there  other  reasons,  which  move  you  to  insult  and  hurt 
us  with  so  heavy  an  accusation  ?  " 

Often  when  wrathful  men  threaten  to  meet  with  an 
explosion,  like  black  thunder-clouds,  a  word  from  the 
mouth  of  a  sensible  woman  gives  them  pause,  and  re- 
strains them  like  a  breath  of  soft  wind. 

Phcebicius  had  no  mind  to  listen  to  any  speech  from 
Polykarp's  mother,  but  her  question  suggested  to  him 
for  the  first  time  a  rapid  retrospect  of  all  that  had  oc- 
curred, and  he  could  not  conceal  from  himself  that  his 
suspicions  rested  on  weak  grounds.  And  at  the  same 
time  he  now  said  to  himself,  that  if  indeed  Sirona  had 
fled  into  the  desert  instead  of  to  the  senator's  house  he 
was  wasting  time,  and  letting  the  start,  which  she  had 
already  gained,  increase  in  a  fatal  degree. 

But  few  seconds  were  needed  for  these  reflections, 
and  as  he  was  accustomed  when  need  arose  to  control 
himself,  he  said: 


HOMO    SUM.  149 

"We  must  see — some  means  must  be  found — "  and 
then  without  any  greeting  to  his  host,  he  slowly  re- 
turned to  his  own  house.  But  he  had  not  reached  the 
door,  when  he  heard  hoofs  on  the  road,  and  Petrus 
called  after  him,  "  Grant  us  a  few  minutes  longer,  for 
here  comes  Polykarp,  and  he  can  justify  himself  to  you 
in  his  own  person." 

The  centurion  paused,  the  senator  signed  to  old 
Jethro  to  open  the  gate;  a  man  was  heard  to  spring 
from  his  saddle,  but  it  was  an  Amalekite — and  not 
Polykarp — who  came  into  the  court. 

"What  news  do  you  bring?"  asked  the  senator, 
turning  half  to  the  messenger  and  half  to  the  centurion. 

"  My  lord  Polykarp,  your  son,"  replied  the  Ama- 
lekite—a  dark  brown  man  of  ripe  years  with  supple 
limbs,  and  a  sharp  tongue — "  sends  his  greetings  to  you 
and  to  the  mistress,  and  would  have  you  to  know  that 
before  mid-day  he  will  arrive  at  home  with  eight  work- 
men, whom  he  has  engaged  in  Ra'ithu.  Dame  Doro- 
thea must  be  good  enough  to  make  ready  for  them  all 
and  to  prepare  a  meal." 

"  When  did  you  part  from  my  son  ? "  inquired 
Petrus. 

"  Two  hours  before  sundown." 

Petrus  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  he  had  not  till 
now  been  perfectly  convinced  of  his  son's  innocence; 
but,  far  from  triumphing  or  making  Phoebicius  feel  the 
injustice  he  had  done  him,  he  said  kindly — for  he  felt 
some  sympathy  with  the  Gaul  in  his  misfortune — 

"  I  wish  the  messenger  could  also  give  some  news 
of  your  wife's  retreat;  she  found  it  hard  to  accommodate 
herself  to  the  dull  life  here  in  the  oasis,  perhaps  she  has 
only  disappeared  in  order  to  seek  a  town  which  may 


150  HOMO    SUM. 

offer  more  variety  to  such  a  beautiful  young  creature 
than  this  quiet  spot  in  the  desert." 

Phcebicius  waved  his  hand  with  a  negative  move- 
ment, implying  that  he  knew  better,  and  said,  "  I  will 
show  you  what  your  nice  night-bird  left  in  my  nest. 
It  may  be  that  you  can  tell  me  to  whom  it  belongs." 

Just  as  he  hastily  stepped  across  the  court-yard  to 
his  own  dwelling  Paulus  entered  by  the  now  open  gate; 
he  greeted  the  senator  and  his  family,  and  offered  Petrus 
the  key  of  the  church. 

The  sun  meanwhile  had  risen,  and  the  Alexandrian 
blushed  to  show  himself  in  Dame  Dorothea's  presence 
in  his  short  and  ragged  under-garment,  which  was  quite 
inefficient  to  cover  the  still  athletic  mould  of  his  limbs. 
Petrus  had  heard  nothing  but  good  of  Paulus,  and  yet 
he  measured  him  now  with  no  friendly  eye,  for  all  that 
wore  the  aspect  of  extravagance  repelled  his  temperate 
and  methodical  nature.  Paulus  was  made  conscious 
of  what  was  passing  in  the  senator's  mind  when,  with- 
out vouchsafing  a  single  word,  he  took  the  key  from  his 
hand.  It  was  not  a  matter  of  indifference  to  him,  that 
this  man  should  think  ill  of  him,  and  he  said,  with  some 
embarrassment — 

"We  do  not  usually  go  among  people  without  a 
sheepskin,  but  I  have  lost  mine." 

Hardly  had  he  uttered  the  words,  when  Phcebicius 
came  back  with  Hermas'  sheepskin  in  his  hand,  and 
cried  out  to  Petrus : 

"  This  I  found  on  my  return  home,  in  our  sleeping- 
room." 

"  And  when  have  you  ever  seen  Polykarp  in  such  a 
mantle  ?  "  asked  Dorothea. 

"When  the  gods  visit  the  daughters  of  men,"  re- 


HOMO    SUM.  151 

plied  the  centurion,  "they  have  always  made  choice  of 
strange  disguises.  Why  should  not  a  perfumed  Alex- 
andrian gentleman  transform  himself  for  once  into  one 
of  those  rough  fools  on  the  mountain  ?  However,  even 
old  Homer  sometimes  nodded — and  I  confess  that  I 
was  in  error  with  regard  to  your  son.  I  meant  no  of- 
fence, senator !  You  have  lived  here  longer  than  I ; 
who  can  have  made  me  a  present  of  this  skin,  which 
still  seems  to  be  pretty  new — horns  and  all." 

Petrus  examined  and  felt  the  skin,  "This  is  an 
anchorite's  garment,"  he  said;  "the  penitents  on  the 
mountain  are  all  accustomed  to  wear  such." 

"  It  is  one  of  those  rascals  then  that  has  found  his 
way  into  my  house !  "  exclaimed  the  centurion.  "  I 
bear  Caesar's  commission,  and  I  am  to  exterminate  all 
vagabonds  that  trouble  the  dwellers  in  the  oasis,  or 
travellers  in  the  desert.  Thus  run  the  orders  which  I 
brought  with  me  from  Rome.  I  will  drive  the  low  fel- 
lows together  like  deer  for  hunting,  for  they  are  all 
rogues  and  villains,  and  I  shall  know  how  to  torture 
them  until  I  find  the  right  one." 

"  The  emperor  will  ill-requite  you  for  that,"  replied 
Petrus.  "They  are  pious  Christians,  and  you  know 
that  Constantine  himself — " 

"Constantine!"  exclaimed  the  centurion  scornfully. 
"  Perhaps  he  will  let  himself  be  baptized,  for  water  can 
hurt  no  one,  and  he  cannot,  like  the  great  Diocletian, 
exterminate  the  masses  who  run  after  the  crucified 
miracle-monger,  without  depopulating  the  country. 
Look  at  these  coins ;  here  is  the  image  of  Caesar,  and 
what  is  this  on  the  other  side  ?  Is  this  your  Nazarene, 
or  is  it  the  old  god,  the  immortal  and  invincible  sun  ? 
And  is  that  man  one  of  your  creed,  who  in  Constanti- 


152  HOMO    SUM. 

nople  adores  Tyche  and  the  Dioscuri  Castor  and 
Pollux  ?  The  water  he  is  baptized  with  to-day  he  will 
wipe  away  to-morrow,  and  the  old  gods  will  be  his 
defenders,  if  in  more  peaceful  times  he  maintains  them 
against  your  superstitions." 

"But  it  will  be  a  good  while  till  then,"  said  Petrus 
coolly.  "For  the  present,  at  least,  Constantine  is  the 
protector  of  the  Christians.  I  advise  you  to  put  your 
affair  into  the  hands  of  Bishop  Agapitus." 

"That  he  may  serve  me  up  a  dish  of  your  doctrine, 
which  is  bad  even  for  women,"  said  the  centurion 
laughing;  "and  that  I  may  kiss  my  enemies'  feet? 
They  are  a  vile  rabble  up  there,  I  repeat  it,  and  they 
shall  be  treated  as  such  till  I  have  found  my  man.  I 
shall  begin  the  hunt  this  very  day." 

"And  this  very  day  you  may  end  it,  for  the  sheep- 
skin is  mine." 

It  was  Paulus  who  spoke  these  words  in  a  loud  and 
decided  tone;  all  eyes  were  at  once  turned  on  him  and 
on  the  centurion. 

Petrus  and  the  slaves  had  frequently  seen  the  an- 
chorite, but  never  without  a  sheepskin  similar  to  that 
which  Phcebicius  held  in  his  hand.  The  anchorite's 
self-accusation  must  have  appeared  incredible,  and 
indeed  scarcely .  possible,  to  all  who  knew  Paulus  and 
Sirona;  and  nevertheless  no  one,  not  even  the  senator, 
doubted  it  for  an  instant.  Dame  Dorothea  only  shook 
her  head  incredulously,  and  though  she  could  find  no 
explanation  for  the  occurrence,  she  still  could  not  but 
say  to  herself,  that  this  man  did  not  look  like  a  lover, 
and  that  Sirona  would  hardly  have  forgotten  her  duty 
for  his  sake.  She  could  not  indeed  bring  herself  to 
believe  in  Sirona's  guilt  at  all,  for  she  was  heartily  well- 


HOMO    SUM. 


*53 


disposed  towards  her;  besides — though  it,  no  doubt, 
was  not  right — her  motherly  vanity  inclined  her  to 
believe  that  if  the  handsome  young  woman  had  indeed 
sinned,  she  would  have  preferred  her  fine  tall  Poly- 
karp — whose  roses  and  flaming  glances  she  blamed  in 
all  sincerity — to  this  shaggy,  wild-looking  graybeard. 

Quite  otherwise  thought  the  centurion.  He  was 
quite  ready  to  believe  in  the  anchorite's  confession,  for 
the  more  unworthy  the  man  for  whom  Sirona  had 
broken  faith,  the  greater  seemed  her  guilt,  and  the 
more  unpardonable  her  levity;  and  to  his  man's  vanity 
it  seemed  to  him  easier — particularly  in  the  presence  of 
such  witnesses  as  Petrus  and  Dorothea — to  bear  the 
fact  that  his  wife  should  have  sought  variety  and  plea- 
sure at  any  cost,  even  at  that  of  devoting  herself  to  a 
ragged  beggar,  than  that  she  should  have  given  her 
affections  to  a  younger,  handsomer,  and  worthier  man 
than  himself.  He  had  sinned  much  against  her,  but 
all  that  lay  like  feathers  on  his  side  of  the  scales,  while 
that  which  she  had  done  weighed  down  hers  like  a  load 
of  lead.  He  began  to  feel  like  a  man  who,  in  wading 
through  a  bog,  has  gained  firm  ground  with  one  foot, 
and  all  these  feelings  gave  him  energy  to  walk  up  to 
the  anchorite  with  a  self-control,  of  which  he  was  not 
generally  master,  excepting  when  on  duty  at  the  head 
of  his  soldiers. 

He  approached  the  Alexandrian  with  an  assumption 
of  dignity  and  a  demeanor  which  testified  to  his  for- 
merly having  taken  part  in  the  representations  of  trage- 
dies in  the  theatres  of  great  cities.  Paulus,  on  his  part, 
did  not  retreat  by  a  single  step,  but  looked  at  him  with 
a  smile  that  alarmed  Petrus  and  the  rest  of  the  by- 
standers.     The  law  put  the  anchorite  absolutely  into 


154  HOMO    SUM. 

the  power  of  the  outraged  husband,  but  Phoebicius  did 
not  seem  disposed  to  avail  himself  of  his  rights,  and 
nothing  but  contempt  and  loathing  were  perceptible 
in  his  tone,  as  he  said: 

"A  man  who  takes  hold  of  a  mangy  dog  in  order 
to  punish  him,  only  dirties  his  hand.  The  woman  who 
betrayed  me  for  your  sake,  and  you — you  dirty  beg- 
gar— are  worthy  of  each  other.  I  could  crush  you  like 
a  fly  that  can  be  destroyed  by  a  blow  of  my  hand  if  I 
chose,  but  my  sword  is  Caesar's,  and  shall  never  be 
soiled  by  such  foul  blood  as  yours;  however,  the  beast 
shall  not  have  cast  off  his  skin  for  nothing,  it  is  thick, 
and  so  you  have  only  spared  me  the  trouble  of  tearing 
it  off  you  before  giving  you  your  due.  You  shall  find 
no  lack  of  blows.  Confess  where  your  sweetheart  has 
fled  to  and  they  shall  be  few,  but  if  you  are  slow  to 
answer  they  will  be  many.  Lend  me  that  thing  there, 
fellow!" 

With 'these  words  he  took  a  whip  of  hippopotamus 
hide  out  of  a  camel-driver's  hand,  went  close  up  to  the 
Alexandrian,  and  asked:   "Where  is  Sirona?" 

"  Nay,  you  may  beat  me,"  said  Paulus.  "  However 
hard  your  whip  may  fall  on  me,  it  cannot  be  heavy 
enough  for  my  sins;  but  as  to  where  your  wife  is 
hiding,  that  I  really  cannot  tell  you — not  even  if  you 
were  to  tear  my  limbs  with  pincers  instead  of  stroking 
me  with  that  wretched  thing." 

There  was  something  so  genuinely  honest  in  Paulus' 
voice  and  tone,  that  the  centurion  was  inclined  to 
believe  him;  but  it  was  not  his  way  to  let  a  threatened 
punishment  fail  of  execution,  and  this  strange  beggar 
should  learn  by  experience  that  when  his  hand  in- 
tended to  hit  hard,  it  was  far  from  "stroking."     And 


HOMO    SUM.  155 

Paulus  did  experience  it,  without  uttering  a  cry,  and 
without  stirring  from  the  spot  where  he  stood. 

When  at  last  Phcebicius  dropped  his  weary  arm 
and  breathlessly  repeated  his  question,  the  ill-used  man 
replied,  "  I  told  you  before  I  do  not  know,  and  there- 
fore I  cannot  reveal  it." 

Up  to  this  moment  Petrus,  though  he  had  felt 
strongly  impelled  to  rush  to  the  rescue  of  his  severely 
handled  fellow-believer,  had  nevertheless  allowed  the 
injured  husband  to  have  his  way,  for  he  seemed  dis- 
posed to  act  with  unusual  mildness,  and  the  Alexan- 
drian to  be  worthy  of  all  punishment;  but  at  this  point 
Dorothea's  request  would  not  have  been  needed  to 
prompt  him  to  interfere. 

He  went  up  to  the  centurion,  and  said  to  him  in  an 
undertone,  "You  have  given  the  evil-doer  his  due,  and 
if  you  desire  that  he  should  undergo  a  severer  punish- 
ment than  you  can  inflict,  carry  the  matter — I  say  once 
more — before  the  bishop.  You  will  gain  nothing  more 
here.  Take  my  word  for  it,  I  know  the  man  and  his 
fellow-men;  he  actually  knows  nothing  of  where  your 
wife  is  hiding,  and  you  are  only  wasting  the  time  and 
strength  which  you  would  do  better  to  save,  in  order  to 
search  for  Sirona.  I  fancy  she  will  have  tried  to  reach 
the  sea,  and  to  get  to  Egypt  or  possibly  to  Alexandria; 
and  there — you  know  what  the  Greek  city  is — she  will 
fall  into  utter  ruin." 

"  And  so,"  laughed  the  Gaul,  "  find  what  she  seeks — 
variety,  and  every  kind  of  pleasure.  For  a  young 
thing  like  that,  who  loves  amusement,  there  is  no 
pleasant  occupation  but  vice.  But  I  will  spoil  her 
game;  you  are  right,  it  is  not  well  to  give  her  too  long 
a  start.     If  she  has  found  the  road  to  the  sea,  she  may 


156  HOMO    SUM. 

already — Hey,  here  Talib!"  He  beckoned  to  Poly- 
karp's  Amalekite  messenger.  "You  have  just  come 
from  Ra'ithu;  did  you  meet  a  flying  woman  on  the 
way,  with  yellow  hair  and  a  white  face  ?" 

The  Amalekite,  a  free  man  with  sharp  eyes,  who 
was  highly  esteemed  in  the  senator's  house,  and  even 
by  Phcebicius  himself,  as  a  trustworthy  and  steady  man, 
had  expected  this  question,  and  eagerly  replied : 

"At  two  stadia  beyond  el  Heswe  I  met  a  large 
caravan  from  Petra,  which  rested  yesterday  in  the  oasis 
here;  a  woman,  such  as  you  describe,  was  running 
with  it.  When  I  heard  what  had  happened  here  I 
wanted  to  speak,  but  who  listens  to  a  cricket  while  it 
thunders  ?" 

"Had  she  a  lame  greyhound  with  her?"  asked 
Phcebicius,  full  of  expectation. 

"  She  carried  something  in  her  arms,"  answered  the 
Amalekite.  "  In  the  moonlight  I  took  it  for  a  baby. 
My  brother,  who  was  escorting  the  caravan,  told  me 
the  lady  was  no  doubt  running  away,  for  she  had  paid 
the  charge  for  the  escort  not  in  ready  money,  but  with 
a  gold  signet-ring." 

The  Gaul  remembered  a  certain  gold  ring  with  a 
finely  carved  onyx,  which  long  years  ago  he  had  taken 
from  Glycera's  finger,  for  she  had  another  one  like  it, 
and  which  he  had  given  to  Sirona  on  the  day  of  their 
marriage. 

"It  is  strange!"  thought  he,  "what  we  give  to 
women  to  bind  them  to  us  they  use  as  weapons  to  turn 
against  us,  be  it  to  please  some  other  man,  or  to  smooth 
the  path  by  which  they  escape  from  us.  It  was  with  a 
bracelet  of  Glycera's  that  I  paid  the  captain  of  the  ship 
that  brought  us  to  Alexandria;  but  the  soft-hearted  fool, 


HOMO    SUM.  157 

whose  dove  flew  after  me,  and  I  are  men  of  a  different 
stamp;  I  will  follow  my  flown  bird,  and  catch  it  again." 

He  spoke  the  last  words  aloud,  and  then  desired  one 
of  the  senator's  slaves  to  give  his  mule  a  good  feed  and 
drink,  for  his  own  groom,  and  the  superior  decurion  who 
during  his  absence  must  take  his  place,  were  also  wor- 
shippers of  Mithras,  and  had  not  yet  returned  from  the 
mountain. 

Phoebicius  did  not  doubt  that  the  woman  who  had 
joined  the  caravan — which  he  himself  had  seen  yester- 
day— was  his  fugitive  wife,  and  he  knew  that  his  delay 
might  have  reduced  his  earnest  wish  to  overtake  her  and 
punish  her  to  the  remotest  probability;  but  he  was  a 
Roman  soldier,  and  would  rather  have  laid  violent  hands 
on  himself  than  have  left  his  post  without  a  deputy. 
When  at  last  his  fellow- worshippers  came  from  their 
sacrifice  and  worship  of  the  rising  sun,  his  preparations 
for  his  long  journey  were  completed. 

Phoebicius  carefully  impressed  on  the  decurion  all 
he  had  to  do  during  his  absence,  and  how  he  was  to 
conduct  himself;  then  he  delivered  the  key  of  his  house 
into  Petrus'  keeping  as  well  as  the  black  slave- woman, 
who  wept  loudly  and  passionately  over  the  flight  of  her 
mistress;  he  requested  the  senator  to  bring  the  ancho- 
rite's misdeed  to  the  knowledge  of  the  bishop,  and  then, 
guided  by  the  Amalekite  Talib,  who  rode  before  him  on 
his  dromedary,  he  trotted  hastily  away  in  pursuit  of  the 
caravan,  so  as  to  reach  the  sea,  if  possible,  before  its 
embarkation. 

As  the  hoofs  of  the  mule  sounded  fainter  and  fainter 
in  the  distance,  Paulus  also  quitted  the  senator's  court- 
yard; Dorothea  pointed  after  him  as  he  walked  towards 
the  mountain.     "  In  truth,  husband,"  said  she,  "  this  has 


T58  HOMO    SUM. 

been  a  strange  morning;  everything  that  has  occurred 
looks  as  clear  as  day,  and  yet  I  cannot  understand  it 
all.  My  heart  aches  when  I  think  what  may  happen 
to  the  wretched  Sirona  if  her  enraged  husband  overtakes 
her.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  are  two  sorts  of  mar- 
riage; one  was  instituted  by  the  most  loving  of  the 
angels,  nay,  by  the  All- merciful  Himself,  but  the  other — 
it  is  not  to  be  thought  of!  How  can  those  two  live 
together  for  the  future?  And  that  under  our  roof! 
Their  closed  house  looks  to  me  as  though  ruined  and 
burnt-out,  and  we  have  already  seen  the  nettles  spring 
up  which  grow  everywhere  among  the  ruins  of  human 
dwellings." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  path  of  every  star  is  fixed  and  limited,  every 
plant  bears  flowers  and  fruit  which  in  form  and  color 
exactly  resemble  their  kind,  and  in  all  the  fundamental 
characteristics  of  their  qualities  and  dispositions,  of  their 
instinctive  bent  and  external  impulse,  all  animals  of  the 
same  species  resemble  each  other;  thus,  the  hunter  who 
knows  the  red-deer  in  his  father's  forest,  may  know  in 
every  forest  on  earth  how  the  stag  will  behave  in  any 
given  case.  The  better  a  genus  is  fitted  for  variability 
in  the  conformation  of  its  individuals,  the  higher  is  the 
rank  it  is  entitled  to  hold  in  the  graduated  series  of 
creatures  capable  of  development;  and  it  is  precisely 
that  wonderful  many-sidedness  of  his  inner  life,  and  of 
its  outward  manifestation,  which  assigns  to  man  his 
superiority  over  all  other  animated  beings. 


HOMO    SUM.  159 

Some  few  of  our  qualities  and  activities  can  be  fitly 
symbolized  in  allegorical  fashion  by  animals;  thus, 
courage  finds  an  emblem  in  the  lion,  gentleness  in  the 
dove,  but  the  perfect  human  form  has  satisfied  a  thou- 
sand generations,  and  will  satisfy  a  thousand  more, 
when  we  desire  to  reduce  the  divinity  to  a  sensible 
image,  for,  in  truth,  our  heart  is  as  surely  capable  of 
comprehending  "  God  in  us," — that  is  in  our  feelings — 
as  our  intellect  is  capable  of  comprehending  His  out- 
ward manifestation  in  the  universe. 

Every  characteristic  of  every  finite  being  is  to  be 
found  again  in  man,  and  no  characteristic  that  we  can- 
attribute  to  the  Most  High  is  foreign  to  our  own  soul, 
which,  in  like  manner,  is  infinite  and  immeasurable,  for 
it  can  extend  its  investigating  feelers  to  the  very  utmost 
boundary  of  space  and  time.  Hence,  the  roads  which 
are  open  to  the  soul,  are  numberless  as  those  of  the 
divinity.  Often  they  seem  strange,  but  the  initiated 
very  well  know  that  these  roads  are  in  accordance  to 
fixed  laws,  and  that  even  the  most  exceptional  emotions 
of  the  soul  may  be  traced  back  to  causes  which  were 
capable  of  giving  rise  to  them  and  to  no  others. 

Blows  hurt,  disgrace  is  a  burden,  and  unjust  punish- 
ment embitters  the  heart,  but  Paulus'  soul  had  sought 
and  found  a  way  to  which  these  simple  propositions  did 
not  apply. 

He  had  been  ill-used  and  contemned,  and,  though 
perfectly  innocent,  ere  he  left  the  oasis  he  was  con- 
demned to  the  severest  penance.  As  soon  as  the  bishop 
had  heard  from  Petrus  of  all  that  had  happened  in  his 
house,  he  had  sent  for  Paulus,  and  as  he  could  answer 
nothing  to  the  accusation,  he  had  expelled  him  from  his 
flock — to    which   the   anchorites   belonged — forbidden 


l6o  HOMO    SUM. 

him  to  visit  the  church  on  week-days,  and  declared  that 
this  his  sentence  should  be  publicly  proclaimed  before 
the  assembled  congregation  of  the  believers. 

And  how  did  this  affect  Paulus  as  he  climbed  the 
mountain,  lonely  and  proscribed? 

A  fisherman  from  the  little  seaport  of  Pharan,  who 
met  him  half-way  and  exchanged  a  greeting  with  him, 
thought  to  himself  as  he  looked  after  him,  "The  great 
graybeard  looks  as  happy  as  if  he  had  found  a  treasure." 
Then  he  walked  on  into  the  valley  with  his  scaly  wares, 
reminded,  as  he  went,  of  his  son's  expression  of  face 
when  his  wife  bore  him  his  first  little  one. 

Near  the  watch-tower  at  the  edge  of  the  defile,  a 
party  of  anchorites  were  piling  some  stones  together. 
They  had  already  heard  of  the  bishop's  sentence  on 
Paulus,  the  sinner,  and  they  gave  him  no  greeting.  He 
observed  it  and  was  silent,  but  when  they  could  no  lon- 
ger see  him  he  laughed  to  himself  and  muttered,  while 
he  rubbed  a  weal  that  the  centurion's  whip  had  left  up- 
on his  back,  "  If  they  think  that  a  Gaul's  cudgel  has  a 
pleasant  flavor  they  are  mistaken,  however  I  would  not 
exchange  it  for  a  skin  of  Anthyllan  wine;  and  if  they 
could  only  know  that  at  least  one  of  the  stripes  which 
torments  me  is  due  to  each  one  of  themselves,  they  would 
be  surprised!  But  away  with  pride!  How  they  spat 
on  Thee,  Jesus  my  Lord,  and  who  am  I,  and  how  mildly 
have  they  dealt  with  me,  when  I  for  once  have  taken  on 
my  back  another's  stripes.  Not  a  drop  of  blood  was 
drawn!    I  wish  the  old  man  had  hit  harder!" 

He  walked  cheerfully  forward,  and  his  mind  recurred 
to  the  centurion's  speech  that  "he  could  if  he  list,  tread 
him  down  like  a  worm,"  and  he  laughed  again  softly, 
for  he  was  quite  aware  that  he  was  ten  times  as  strong 


HOMO   SUM.  i6r 

as  Phoebicius,  and  formerly  he  had  overthrown  the  brag- 
gart Arkesilaos  of  Kyrene  and  his  cousin,  the  tall  Xeno- 
phanes,  both  at  once  in  the  sand  of  the  Palaestra.  Then 
he  thought  of  Hermas,  of  his  sweet  dead  mother,  and 
of  his  father,  and — which  was  the  most  comforting 
thought  of  all — of  how  he  had  spared  the  old  man  this 
bitter  sorrow. 

On  his  path  there  grew  a  little  plant  with  a  reddish 
blossom.  In  years  he  had  never  looked  at  a  flower  or, 
at  any  rate,  had  never  wished  to  possess  one;  to-day  he 
stooped  down  over  the  blossom  that  graced  the  rock, 
meaning  to  pluck  it.  But  he  did  not  carry  out  his  in- 
tention, for  before  he  had  laid  his  hand  upon  it,  he 
reflected : 

"To  whom  could  I  offer  it?  And  perhaps  the  flow- 
ers themselves  rejoice  in  the  light,  and  in  the  silent  life 
that  is  in  their  roots.  How  tightly  it  clings  to  the  rock. 
Farther  away  from  the  road  flowers  of  even  greater 
beauty  blow,  seen  by  no  mortal  eye ;  they  deck  them- 
selves in  beauty  for  no  one  but  for  their  Creator,  and 
because  they  rejoice  in  themselves.  I  too  will  with- 
draw from  the  highways  of  mankind ;  let  them  accuse 
me !  So  long  as  I  live  at  peace  with  myself  and  my 
God  I  ask  nothing  of  any  one.  He  that  abases  him- 
self— aye,  he  that  abases  himself! — My  hour  too  shall 
come,  and  above  and  beyond  this  life  I  shall  see  them 
all  once  more;  Petrus  and  Dorothea,  Agapitus  and  the 
brethren  who  now  refuse  to  receive  me,  and  then,  when 
my  Saviour  himself  beckons  me  to  Him,  they  will  see 
me  as  I  am,  and  hasten  to  me  and  greet  me  with  double 
kindness." 

He  looked  up,  proud  and  rejoicing  as  he  thought 
thus,  and  painted  to  himself  the  joys  of  Paradise,  to 


1 62  HOMO    SUM. 

which  this  day  he  had  earned  an  assured  claim.     He , 
never  took  longer  and  swifter  steps  than  when  his  mind 
was   occupied  with  such    meditations,   and  when    he 
reached  Stephanus'  cave  he  thought  the  way  from  the 
oasis  to  the  heights  had  been  shorter  than  usual. 

He  found  the  sick  man  in  great  anxiety,  for  he  had 
waited  until  now  for  his  son  in  vain,  and  feared  that 
Hermas  had  met  with  some  accident — or  had  abandon- 
ed him,  and  fled  out  into  the  world.  Paulus  soothed 
him  with  gentle  words,  and  told  him  of  the  errand  on 
which  he  had  sent  the  lad  to  the  farther  coast  of  the  sea. 

We  are  never  better  disposed  to  be  satisfied  with 
even  bad  news  than  when  we  have  expected  it  to  be 
much  worse;  so  Stephanus  listened  to  his  friend's  ex- 
planation quite  calmly,  and  with  signs  of  approval. 
He  could  no  longer  conceal  from  himself  that  Hermas 
was  not  ripe  for  the  life  of  an  anchorite,  and  since  he 
had  learned  that  his  unhappy  wife — whom  he  had  so 
long  given  up  for  lost — had  died  a  Christian,  he  found 
that  he  could  reconcile  his  thoughts  to  relinquishing  the 
boy  to  the  world.  He  had  devoted  himself  and  his 
son  to  a  life  of  penance,  hoping  and  striving  that  so 
Glycera's  soul  might  be  snatched  from  damnation,  and 
now  he  knew  that  she  herself  had  earned  her  title  to 
Heaven. 

"  When  will  he  come  home  again  ?  "  he  asked  Pau- 
lus. 

"In  five  or  six  days,"  was  the  answer.  "Ali,  the 
fisherman — out  of  whose  foot  I  took  a  thorn  some  time 
since — informed  me  secretly,  as  I  was  going  to  church 
yesterday,  that  the  Blemmyes  are  gathering  behind  the 
sulphur-mountains;  when  they  have  withdrawn,  it  will 
be  high  time  to  send  Hermas  to  Alexandria.     My  broth- 


HOMO    SUM.  163 

er  is  still  alive,  and  for  my  sake  he  will  receive  him  as 
a  blood-relation,  for  he  too  has  been  baptized." 

"He  may  attend  the  school  of  catechumens  in  the 
metropolis,  and  if  he — if  he — " 

"  That  we  shall  see,"  interrupted  Paulus.  "  For  the 
present  it  comes  to  this,  we  must  let  him  go  from  hence, 
and  leave  him  to  seek  out  his  own  way.  You  fancy 
that  there  may  be  in  heaven  a  place  of  glory  for  such 
as  have  never  been  overcome,  and  you  would  fain  have 
seen  Hermas  among  them.  It  reminds  me  of  the  phy- 
sician of  Corinth,  who  boasted  that  he  was  cleverer 
than  any  of  his  colleagues,  for  that  not  one  of  his 
patients  had  ever  died.  And  the  man  was  right,  for 
neither  man  nor  beast  had  ever  trusted  to  his  healing 
arts.  Let  Hermas  try  his  young  strength,  and  even  if 
he  be  no  priest,  but  a  valiant  warrior  like  his  forefathers, 
even  so  he  may  honestly  serve  God.  But  it  will  be  a 
long  time  before  all  this  comes  to  pass.  So  long  as  he 
is  away  I  will  attend  on  you — you  still  have  some  water 
in  your  jar?" 

"  It  has  twice  been  filled  for  me,"  said  the  old  man. 
"The  brown  shepherdess,  who  so  often  waters  her  goats 
at  our  spring,  came  to  me  the  first  thing  in  the  morn- 
ing and  again  about  two  hours  ago;  she  asked  after 
Hermas,  and  then  offered  of  her  own  accord  to  fetch 
water  for  me  so  long  as  he  was  away.  She  is  as  timid  as 
a  bird,  and  flew  off  as  soon  as  she  had  set  down  the 

jug-" 

"  She  belongs  to  Petrus  and  cannot  leave  her  goats 
for  long,"  said  Paulus.  "  Now  I  will  go  and  find  you 
some  herbs  for  a  relish ;  there  will  be  no  more  wine  in 
the  first  place.  Look  me  in  the  face — for  how  great  a 
sinner  now  do  you  take  me  ?     Think  the  very  worst  of 


164  HOMO    SUM. 

me,  and  yet  perhaps  you' will  hear  worse  said  of  me. 
But  here  come  two  men.  Stay!  one  is  Hilarion,  one 
of  the  bishop's  acolytes,  and  the  other  is  Pachomius 
the  Memphite,  who  lately  came  to  the  mountain.  They 
are  coming  up  here,  and  the  Egyptian  is  carrying  a 
small  jar.  I  would  it  might  hold  some  more  wine  to 
keep  up  your  strength." 

The  two  friends  had  not  long  to  remain  in  ignorance 
of  their  visitor's  purpose.  So  soon  as  they  reached 
Stephanus'  cave,  both  turned  their  backs  on  Paulus 
with  conspicuously  marked  intention;  nay  the  acolyte 
signed  his  brow  with  the  cross,  as  if  he  thought  it  nec- 
essary to  protect  himself  against  evil  influences. 

The  Alexandrian  understood;  he  drew  back  and 
was  silent,  while  Hilarion  explained  to  the  sick  man 
that  Paulus  was  guilty  of  grave  sins,  and  that,  until  he 
had  done  full  penance,  he  must  remain  excluded  as  a 
rotten  sheep  from  the  bishop's  flock,  as  well  as  inter- 
dicted from  waiting  on  a  pious  Christian. 

"  We  know  from  Petrus,"  the  speaker  went  on, 
"that  your  son,  father,  has  been  sent  across  the  sea, 
and  as  you  still  need  waiting  on,  Agapitus  sends  you  by 
me  his  blessing  and  this  strengthening  wine ;  this  youth 
too  will  stay  by  you,  and  provide  you  with  all  neces- 
saries until  Hermas  comes  home." 

With  these  words  he  gave  the  wine-jar  to  the  old 
man,  who  looked  in  astonishment  from  him  to  Paulus, 
who  felt  indeed  cut  to  the  heart  when  the  bishop's 
messenger  turned  to  him  for  an  instant,  and  with  the 
cry,  "  Get  thee  out  from  among  us!"  disappeared. 

How  many  kindly  ties,  how  many  services  willingly 
rendered  and  affectionately  accepted  were  swept  away 
by  these  words — but  Paulus  obeyed  at  once.     He  went 


HOMO    SUM.  165 

up  to  his  sick  friend,  their  eyes  met  and  each  could  see 
that  the  eyes  of  the  other  were  dimmed  with  tears. 

"  Paulus ! "  cried  the  old  man,  stretching  out  both 
his  hands  to  his  departing  friend,  whom  he  felt  he  could 
forgive  whatever  his  guilt ;  but  the  Alexandrian  did  not 
take  them,  but  turned  away,  and,  without  looking  back, 
hastily  went  up  the  mountain  to  a  pathless  spot,  and 
then  on  towards  the  valley — onwards  and  still  onwards, 
till  he  was  brought  to  a  pause  by  the  steep  declivity  of 
the  hollow  way  which  led  southwards  from  the  moun- 
tains into  the  oasis. 

The  sun  stood  high  and  it  was  burning  hot.  Stream- 
ing with  sweat  and  panting  for  breath  he  leaned  against 
the  glowing  porphyry  wall  behind  him,  hid  his  face  in 
his  hands  and  strove  to  collect  himself,  to  think,  to  pray — 
for  a  long  time  in  vain ;  for  instead  of  joy  in  the  suffer- 
ing which  he  had  taken  upon  himself,  the  grief  of  isola- 
tion weighed  upon  his  heart,  and  the  lamentable  cry  of 
the  old  man  had  left  a  warning  echo  in  his  soul,  and 
roused  doubts  of  the  righteousness  of  a  deed,  by  which 
even  the  best  and  purest  had  beeil  deceived,  and  led 
into  injustice  towards  him.  His  heart  was  breaking  with 
anguish  and  grief,  but  when  at  last  he  returned  to  the 
consciousness  of  his  sufferings  physical  and  mental,  he 
began  to  recover  his  courage,  and  even  smiled  as  he 
murmured  to  himself: 

"  It  is  well,  it  is  well — the  more  I  suffer  the  more 
surely  shall  I  find  grace.  And  besides,  if  the  old 
man  had  seen  Hermas  go  through  what  I  have  experi- 
enced it  would  undoubtedly  have  killed  him.  Cer- 
tainly I  wish  it  could  have  been  done  without — without 
— aye,  it  is  even  so — without  deceit ;  even  when  I  was 
a  heathen  I  was  truthful  and  held  a  lie,  whether  in  my- 


1 66  HOMO    SUM. 

self  or  m  another,  in  as  deep  horror  as  father  Abraham 
held  murder,  and  yet  when  the  Lord  required  him,  he 
led  his  son  Isaac  to  the  slaughter.  And  Moses  when 
he  beat  the  overseer — and  Elias,  and  Deborah,  and 
Judith.  I  have  taken  upon  myself  no  less  than  they, 
but  my  lie  will  surely  be  forgiven  me,  if  it  is  not  reck- 
oned against  them  that  they  shed  blood." 

These  and  such  reflections  restored  Paulus  to  equa- 
nimity and  to  satisfaction  with  his  conduct,  and  he 
began  to  consider,  whether  he  should  return  to  his  old 
cave  and  the  neighborhood  of  Stephanus,  or  seek  for  a 
new  abode.  He  decided  on  the  latter  course;  but  first 
he  must  find  fresh  water  and  some  sort  of  nourishment; 
for  his  mouth  and  tongue  were  quite  parched. 

Lower  down  in  the  valley  sprang  a  brooklet  of 
which  he  knew,  and  hard  by  it  grew  various  herbs  and 
roots,  with  which  he  had  often  allayed  his  hunger.  He 
followed  the  declivity  to  its  base,  then  turning  to  the 
left,  he  crossed  a  small  table  land,  which  was  easily 
accessible  from  the  gorge,  but  which  on  the  side  of  the 
oasis  formed  a  perpendicular  cliff  many  fathoms  deep. 
Between  it  and  the  main  mass  of  the  mountain  rose 
numerous  single  peaks,  like  a  camp  of  granite  tents,  or 
a  wildly  tossing  sea  suddenly  turned  to  stone;  behind 
these  blocks  ran  the  streamlet,  which  he  found  after  a 
short  search. 

Perfectly  refreshed,  and  with  renewed  resolve  to 
bear  the  worst  with  patience,  he  returned  to  the  plateauy 
and  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice  he  gazed  down  into 
the  desert  gorge  that  stretched  away  far  below  his  feetr 
and  in  whose  deepest  and  remotest  hollow  the  palm- 
groves  and  tamarisk-thickets  of  the  oasis  showed  as  a 
sharply  defined  mass  of  green,  like  a  luxuriant  wreath 


■ 


HOMO    SUM.  167 

flung  upon  a  bier.  The  whitewashed  roofs  of  the  little 
town  of  Pharan  shone  brightly  among  the  branches  and 
clumps  of  verdure,  and  above  them  all  rose  the  new 
church,  which  he  was  now  forbidden  to  enter.  For  a 
moment  the  thought  was  keenly  painful  that  he  was 
excluded  from  the  devotions  of  the  community,  from 
the  Lord's  supper  and  from  congregational  prayer,  but 
then  he  asked,  was  not  every  block  of  stone  on  the 
mountain  an  altar — was  not  the  blue  sky  above  a  thou- 
sand times  wider,  and  more  splendid  than  the  mightiest 
dome  raised  by  the  hand  of  man,  not  even  excepting 
the  vaulted  roof  of  the  Serapeum  at  Alexandria,  and  he 
remembered  the  "Amen"  of  the  stones,  that  had  rung 
out  after  the  preaching  of  the  blind  man.  By  this  time 
he  had  quite  recovered  himself,  and  he  went  towards 
the  cliff  in  order  to  find  a  cavern  that  he  knew  of,  and 
that  was  empty — for  its  gray-headed  inhabitant  had 
died  some  weeks  since.  "Verily,"  thought  he,  "it 
seems  to  me  that  I  am  by  no  means  weighed  down  by 
the  burden  of  my  disgrace,  but,  on  the  contrary,  lifted 
up.  Here  at  least  I  need  not  cast  down  my  eyes,  for  I 
am  alone  with  my  God,  and  in  his  presence  I  feel  I 
need  not  be  ashamed." 

Thus  meditating,  he  pressed  on  through  a  narrow 
space,  which  divided  two  huge  masses  of  porphyry,  but 
suddenly  he  stood  still,  for  he  heard  the  barking  of  a 
dog  in  his  immediate  neighborhood,  and  a  few  minutes 
after  a  greyhound  rushed  towards  him — now  indig- 
nantly flying  at  him,  and  now  timidly  retreating — while 
it  carefully  held  up  one  leg,  which  was  wrapped  in  a 
many-colored  bandage. 

Paulus  recollected  the  enquiry  which  Phcebicius  had 
addressed  to  the  Amalekite  as  to  a  greyhound,  and  he 


l68  HOMO    SUM. 

immediately  guessed  that  the  Gaul's  runaway  wife  must 
be  not  far  off.  His  heart  beat  more  quickly,  and 
although  he  did  not  immediately  know  how  he  should 
meet  the  disloyal  wife,  he  felt  himself  impelled  to  go  to 
seek  her.  Without  delay  he  followed  the  way  by  which 
the  dog  had  come,  and  soon  caught  sight  of  a  light 
garment,  which  vanished  behind  the  nearest  rock,  and 
then  behind  a  farther,  and  yet  a  farther  one. 

At  last  he  came  up  with  the  fleeing  woman.  She 
was  standing  at  the  very  edge  of  a  precipice,  that  rose 
high  and  sheer  above  the  abyss — a  strange  and  fearful 
sight;  her  long  golden  hair  had  got  tangled,  and  waved 
over  her  bosom  and  shoulders,  half  plaited,  half  undone. 
Only  one  foot  was  firm  on  the  ground;  the  other — with 
its  thin  sandal  all  torn  by  the  sharp  stones — was 
stretched  out  over  the  abyss,  ready  for  the  next  fatal 
step.  At  the  next  instant  she  might  disappear  over  the 
cliff,  for  though  with  her  right  hand  she  held  on  to  a 
point  of  rock,  Paulus  could  see  that  the  boulder  had  no 
connection  with  the  rock  on  which  she  stood,  and 
rocked  too  and  fro. 

She  hung  over  the  edge  of  the  chasm  like  a  sleep- 
walker, or  a  possessed  creature  pursued  by  demons, 
and  at  the  same  time  her  eyes  glistened  with  such  wild 
madness,  and  she  drew  her  breath  with  such  feverish 
rapidity  that  Paulus,  who  had  come  close  up  to  her, 
involuntarily  drew  back.  He  saw  that  her  lips  moved, 
and  though  he  could  not  understand  what  she  said,  he 
felt  that  her  voiceless  utterance  was  to  warn  him  back.  • 

What  should  he  do  ?  If  he  hurried  forward  to  save 
her  by  a  hasty  grip,  and  if  this  manoeuvre  failed,  she 
would  fling  herself  irredeemably  into  the  abyss:  if  he 
left  her  to  herself,  the  stone  to  which  she  clung  would 


HOMO    SUM.  169 

get  looser  and  looser,  and  as  soon  as  it  fell  she  would 
certainly  fall  too.  He  had  once  heard  it  said,  that 
sleep-walkers  always  threw  themselves  down  when  they 
heard  their  names  spoken ;  this  statement  now  recurred 
to  his  mind,  and  he  forbore  from  calling  out  to  her. 

Once  more  the  unhappy  woman  waved  him  off; 
his  very  heart  stopped  beating,  for  her  movements  were 
wild  and  vehement,  and  he  could  see  that  the  stone 
which  she  was  holding  on  by  shifted  its  place.  He 
understood  nothing  of  all  the  words  which  she  tried  to 
say — for  her  voice,  which  only  yesterday  had  been  so 
sweet,  to-day  was  inaudibly  hoarse — except  the  one 
name  "  Phcebicius,"  and  he  felt  no  doubt  that  she  clung 
to  the  stone  over  the  abyss,  so  that,  like  the  mountain- 
goat  when  it  sees  itself  surprised  by  the  hunter,  she 
might  fling  herself  into  the  depth  below  rather  than  be 
taken  by  her  pursuer.  Paulus  saw  in  her  neither  her 
guilt  nor  her  beauty,  but  only  a  child  of  man  trembling 
on  the  brink  of  a  fearful  danger  whom  he  must  save 
from  death  at  any  cost;  and  the  thought  that  he  was 
at  any  rate  not  a  spy  sent  in  pursuit  of  her  by  her  hus- 
band, suggested  to  him  the  first  words  which  he  found 
courage  to  address  to  the  desperate  woman.  They 
were  simple  words  enough,  but  they  were  spoken  in  a 
tone  which  fully  expressed  the  childlike  amiability  of 
his  warm  heart,  and  the  Alexandrian,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  most  approved  school  of  the  city  of 
orators,  involuntarily  uttered  his  words  in  the  admira- 
bly rich  and  soft  chest  voice,  which  he  so  well  knew 
how  to  use. 

"Be  thankful,"  said  he,  "poor  dear  woman — I  have 
found  you  in  a  fortunate  hour.  I  am  Paulus,  Hernias' 
best  friend,  and  I  would  willingly  serve  you  in  your 


170  HOMO    SUM. 

sore  need.  No  danger  is  now  threatening  you,  for 
Phcebicius  is  seeking  you  on  a  wrong  road;  you  may 
trust  me.  Look  at  me!  I  do  not  look  as  if  I  could 
betray  a  poor  erring  woman.  But  you  are  standing  on 
a  spot,  where  I  would  rather  see  my  enemy  than  you; 
lay  your  hand  confidently  in  mine — it  is  no  longer 
white  and  slender,  but  it  is  strong  and  honest — grant 
me  this  request  and  you  will  never  rue  it!  See,  place 
your  foot  here,  and  take  care  how  you  leave  go  of  the 
rock  there.  You  know  not  how  suspiciously  it  shook 
its  head  over  your  strange  confidence  in  it.  Take 
care!  there — your  support  has  rolled  over  into  the 
abyss!  how  it  crashes  and  splits.  It  has  reached  the 
bottom,  smashed  into  a  thousand  pieces,  and  I  am 
thankful  that  you  preferred  to  follow  me  rather  than 
that  false  support."  While  Paulus  was  speaking  he  had 
gone  up  to  Sirona,  as  a  girl  whose  bird  has  escaped 
from  its  cage,  and  who  creeps  up  to  it  with  timid  care 
in  the  hope  of  recapturing  it;  he  offered  her  his  hand, 
and  as  soon  as  he  felt  hers  in  his  grasp,  he  had  carefully 
rescued  her  from  her  fearful  position,  and  had  led  her 
down  to  a  secure  footing  on  the  plateau.  So  long  as 
she  followed  him  unresistingly  he  led  her  on  towards 
the  mountain — without  aim  or  fixed  destination — but 
away,  away  from  the  abyss. 

She  paused  by  a  square  block  of  diorite,  and  Paulus, 
who  had  not  failed  to  observe  how  heavy  her  steps 
were,  desired  her  to  sit  down ;  he  pushed  up  a  flag  of 
stone,  which  he  propped  with  smaller  ones,  so  that 
Sirona  might  not  lack  a  support  for  her  weary  back. 
When  he  had  accomplished  this,  Sirona  leaned  back 
against  the  stone,  and  something  of  dawning  satisfac- 
tion was  audible  in  the  soft  sigh,  which  was  the  first 


HOMO    SUM.  171 

sound  that  had  escaped  her  tightly  closed  lips  since 
her  rescue.  Paulus  smiled  at  her  encouragingly,  and 
said,  "Now  rest  a  little,  I  see  what  you  want;  one 
cannot  defy  the  heat  of  the  sun  for  a  whole  day  with 
impunity." 

Sirona  nodded,  pointed  to  her  mouth,  and  implored 
wearily  and  very  softly  for  "water,  a  little  water." 

Paulus  struck  his  hand  against  his  forehead,  and 
cried  eagerly,  "Directly — I  will  bring  you  a  fresh 
draught.     In  a  few  minutes  I  will  be  back  again." 

Sirona  looked  after  him  as  he  hastened  away.  Her 
gaze  became  more  and  more  staring  and  glazed,  and 
she  felt  as  if  the  rock,  on  which  she  was  sitting,  were 
changing  into  the  ship  which  had  brought  her  from 
Massilia  to  Ostia.  Every  heaving  motion  of  the  vessel, 
which  had  made  her  so  giddy  as  it  danced  over  the 
shifting  waves,  she  now  distinctly  felt  again,  and  at  last 
it  seemed  as  if  a  whirlpool  had  seized  the  ship,  and  was 
whirling  it  round  faster  and  faster  in  a  circle.  She 
closed  her  eyes,  felt  vaguely  and  in  vain  in  the  air  for 
some  holdfast,  her  head  fell  powerless  on  one  side,  and 
before  her  cheek  sank  upon  her  shoulder  she  uttered 
one  feeble  cry  of  distress,  for  she  felt  as  if  all  her  limbs 
were  dropping  from  her  body,  as  leaves  in  autumn 
fall  from  the  boughs,  and  she  fell  back  unconscious  on 
the  stony  couch  which  Paulus  had  constructed  for  her. 

It  was  the  first  swoon  that  Sirona,  with  her  sound 
physical  and  mental  powers,  had  ever  experienced;  but 
the  strongest  of  her  sex  would  have  been  overcome  by 
the  excitement,  the  efforts,  the  privations,  and  the  suf- 
ferings which  had  that  day  befallen  the  unfortunate 
fair  one. 

At  first  she  had  fled  without  any  plan  out  into  the 


172 


HOMO    SUM. 


night  and  up  the  mountain;  the  moon  lighted  her  on 
her  way,  and  for  fully  an  hour  she  continued  her  up- 
ward road  without  any  rest.  Then  she  heard  the  voices 
of  travellers  who  were  coming  towards  her,  and  she  left 
the  beaten  road  and  tried  to  get  away  from  them,  for 
she  feared  that  her  greyhound,  which  she  still  carried 
on  her  arm,  would  betray  her  by  barking,  or  if  they 
heard  it  whining,  and  saw  it  limp.  At  last  she  had  sunk 
down  on  a  stone,  and  had  reflected  on  all  the  events  of 
the  last  few  hours,  and  on  what  she  had  to  do  next. 
She  could  look  back  dreamily  on  the  past,  and  build 
castles  in  the  air  in  a  blue-skyed  future — this  was  easy 
enough;  but  she  did  not  find  it  easy  to  reflect  with  due 
deliberation,  and  to  think  in  earnest.  Only  one  thing 
was  perfectly  clear  to  her:  she  would  rather  starve  and 
die  of  thirst,  and  shame,  and  misery — nay,  she  would 
rather  be  the  instrument  of  her  own  death,  than  return 
to  her  husband.  She  knew  that  she  must  in  the  first 
instance  expect  ill-usage,  scorn,  and  imprisonment  in  a 
dark  room  at  the  Gaul's  hands;  but  all  that  seemed  to 
her  far  more  endurable  than  the  tenderness  with  which  he 
from  time  to  time  approached  her.  When  she  thought 
of  that,  she  shuddered  and  clenched  her  white  teeth,  and 
doubled  her  fists  so  tightly  that  her  nails  cut  the  flesh. 

But  what  was  she  to  do  ?  If  Hermas  were  to  meet 
her  ?  And  yet  what  help  could  she  look  for  from  him, 
for  what  was  he  but  a  mere  lad,  and  the  thought  of 
linking  her  life  to  his,  if  only  for  a  day,  appeared  to 
her  foolish  and  ridiculous. 

Certainly  she  felt  no  inclination  to  repent  or  to  blame 
herself;  still  it  had  been  a  great  folly  on  her  part  to  call 
him  into  the  house  for  the  sake  of  amusing  herself  with 
him. 


HOMO    SUM.  173 

Then  she  recollected  the  severe  punishment  she  had 
once  suffered,  because,  when  she  was  still  quite  little, 
and  without  meaning  any  harm,  she  had  taken  her  fath- 
er's water-clock  to  pieces,  and  had  spoiled  it. 

She  felt  that  she  was  very  superior  to  Hernias,  and 
her  position  was  now  too  grave  a  one  for  her  to  feel  in- 
clined to  play  any  more.  She  thought  indeed  of  Petrus 
and  Dorothea,  but  she  could  only  reach  them  by  going 
back  to  the  oasis,  and  then  she  feared  to  be  discovered 
by  Phcebicius. 

If  Polykarp  now  could  only  meet  her  on  his  way 
back  from  Raithu ;  but  the  road  she  had  just  quitted  did 
not  lead  from  thence,  but  to  the  gate- way  that  lay  more 
to  the  southwards. 

The  senator's  son  loved  her — of  that  she  was  sure, 
for  no  one  else  had  ever  looked  into  her  eyes  with  such 
deep  delight,  or  such  tender  affection;  and  he  was  no 
inexperienced  boy,  but  a  right  earnest  man,  whose  busy 
and  useful  life  now  appeared  to  her  in  a  quite  different 
light  to  that  in  which  she  had  seen  it  formerly.  How 
willingly  now  would  she  have  allowed  herself  to  be 
supported  and  guided  by  Polykarp!  But  how  could 
she  reach  him  ?  No — even  from  him  there  was  nothing 
to  be  expected;  she  must  rely  upon  her  own  strength, 
and  she  decided  that  so  soon  as  the  morning  should 
blush,  and  the  sun  begin  to  mount  in  the  cloudless  sky, 
she  would  keep  herself  concealed  during  the  day, 
among  the  mountains,  and  then  as  evening  came  on, 
she  would  go  down  to  the  sea,  and  endeavor  to  get  on 
board  a  vessel  to  Klysma  and  thence  reach  Alexandria. 
She  wore  a  ring  with  a  finely  cut  onyx  on  her  finger, 
elegant  ear-rings  in  her  ears,  and  on  her  left  arm  a 
bracelet.     These  jewels  were  of  virgin  gold,  and  besides 


I7£  HOMO    SUM. 

these  she  had  with  her  a  few  silver  coins  and  one  large 
gold  piece,  that  her  father  had  given  her  as  token  out 
of  his  small  store,  when  she  had  quitted  him  for  Rome, 
and  that  she  had  hitherto  preserved  as  carefully  as  if  it 
were  a  talisman. 

She  pressed  the  token,  which  was  sewn  into  a  little 
t>ag,  to  her  lips,  and  thought  of  her  paternal  home,  and 
her  brothers  and  sisters. 

Meanwhile  the  sun  mounted  higher  and  higher:  she 
wandered  from  rock  to  rock  in  search  of  a  shady  spot 
and  a  spring  of  water,  but  none  was  to  be  found,  and 
she  was  tormented  with  violent  thirst  and  aching 
hunger.  By  mid-day  the  strips  of  shade  too  had  van- 
ished, where  she  had  found  shelter  from  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  which  now  beat  down  unmercifully  on  her  un- 
protected head.  Her  forehead  and  neck  began  to  tingle 
violently,  and  she  fled  before  the  burning  beams  like  a 
soldier  before  the  shafts  of  his  pursuer.  Behind  the 
rocks  which  hemmed  in  the  plateau  on  which  Paulus 
met  her,  at  last,  when  she  was  quite  exhausted,  she 
found  a  shady  resting-place.  The  greyhound  lay  pant- 
ing in  her  lap,  and  held  up  its  broken  paw,  which  she 
had  carefully  bound  up  in  the  morning  when  she  had 
first  sat  down  to  rest,  with  a  strip  of  stuff  that  she  had 
torn  with  the  help  of  her  teeth  from  her  under-garment. 
She  now  bound  it  up  afresh,  and  nursed  the  little  crea- 
ture, caressing  it  like  an  infant.  The  dog  was  as  wretch- 
ed and  suffering  as  herself,  and  besides  it  was  the  only 
being  that,  in  spite  of  her  helplessness,  she  could 
cherish  and  be  dear  to.  But  ere  long  she  lost  the 
power  even  to  speak  caressing  words  or  to  stir  a  hand 
to  stroke  the  dog.  It  slipped  off  her  lap  and  limped 
away,  while  she  sat  staring  blankly  before  her,  and  at 


HOMO    SUM.  175 

last  forgot  her  sufferings  in  an  uneasy  slumber,  till  she 
was  roused  by  Iambe's  barking  and  the  Alexandrian's 
footstep.  Almost  half-dead,  her  mouth  parched  and 
brain  on  fire,  while  her  thoughts  whirled  in  confusion, 
she  believed  that  Phoebicius  had  found  her  track,  and 
was  come  to  seize  her.  She  had  already  noted  the 
deep  precipice  to  the  edge  of  which  she  now  fled,  fully 
resolved  to  fling  herself  over  into  the  depths  below, 
rather  than  to  surrender  herself  prisoner. 

Paulus  had  rescued  her  from  the  fall,  but  now — as 
he  came  up  to  her  with  two  pieces  of  stone  which  were 
slightly  hollowed,  so  that  he  had  been  able  to  bring 
some  fresh  water  in  them,  and  which  he  held  level  with 
great  difficulty,  walking  with  the  greatest  care — he 
thought  that  inexorable  death  had  only  too  soon  re- 
turned to  claim  the  victim  he  had  snatched  from  him, 
for  Sirona's  head  hung  down  upon  her  breast,  her  face 
was  sunk  towards  her  lap,  and  at  the  back  of  her  head, 
where  her  abundant  hair  parted  into  two  flowing  tresses, 
Paulus  observed  on  the  snowy  neck  of  the  insensible 
woman  a  red  spot  which  the  sun  must  have  burnt 
there. 

His  whole  soul  was  full  of  compassion  for  the  young, 
fair,  and  unhappy  creature,  and,  while  he  took  hold  of 
her  chin,  which  had  sunk  on  her  bosom,  lifted  her  white 
face,  and  moistened  her  forehead  and  lips  with  water, 
he  softly  prayed  for  her  salvation. 

The  shallow  cavity  of  the  stones  only  offered  room 
for  a  very  small  quantity  of  the  refreshing  moisture, 
and  so  he  was  obliged  to  return  several  times  to  the 
spring.  While  he  was  away  the  dog  remained  by  his 
mistress,  and  would  now  lick  her  hand,  now  put  his 
sharp  little  nose  close  up  to  her  mouth,   and  examine 


176  HOMO    SUM. 

her  with  an  anxious  expression,  as  if  to  ascertain  her 
state  of  health. 

When  Paulus  had  gone  the  first  time  to  fetch  some 
water  for  Sirona  he  had  found  the  dog  by  the  side  of 
the  spring,  and  he  could  not  help  thinking,  "  The  un- 
reasoning brute  has  found  the  water  without  a  guide 
while  his  mistress  is  dying  of  thirst.  Which  is  the  wiser 
—the  man  or  the  brute  ? "  The  little  dog  on  his  part 
strove  to  merit  the  anchorite's  good  feelings  towards 
him,  for,  though  at  first  he  had  barked  at  him,  he  now 
was  very  friendly  to  him,  and  looked  him  in  the  face 
from  time  to  time  as  though  to  ask,  "  Do  you  think  she 
will  recover  ?  " 

Paulus  was  fond  of  animals,  and  understood  the 
little  dog's  language.  When  Sirona's  lips  began  to 
move  and  to  recover  their  rosy  color,  he  stroked  Iambe's 
smooth  sharp  head,  and  said,  as  he  held  a  leaf  that  he 
had  curled  up  to  hold  some  water  to  Sirona's  lips, 
"Look,  little  fellow,  how  she  begins  to  enjoy  it!  A 
little  more  of  this,  and  again  a  little  more.  She  smacks 
her  lips  as  if  I  were  giving  her  sweet  Falernian.  I  will 
go  and  fill  the  stone  again;  you  stop  here  with  her,  I 
shall  be  back  again  directly,  but  before  I  jeturn  she  will 
have  opened  her  eyes;  you  are  pleasanter  to  look  upon 
than  a  shaggy  old  graybeard,  and  she  will  be  better 
pleased  to  see  you  than  me  when  she  awakes."  Paulus' 
prognosis  was  justified,  for  when  he  returned  to  Sirona 
with  a  fresh  supply  of  water  she  was  sitting  upright; 
she  rubbed  her  open  eyes,  stretched  her  limbs,  clasped 
the  greyhound  in  both  arms,  and  burst  into  a  violent 
flood  of  tears. 

The  Alexandrian  stood  aside  motionless,  so  as  not 
to  disturb  her,  thinking  to  himself: 


HOMO    SUM.  177 

"These  tears  will  wash  away  a  large  part  of  her 
suffering  from  her  soul." 

When  at  last  she  was  calmer,  and  began  to  dry  her 
eyes,  he  went  up  to  her,  offered  her  the  stone  cup  of 
water,  and  spoke  to  her  kindly.  She  drank  with  eager 
satisfaction,  and  ate  the  last  bit  of  bread  that  he  could 
find  in  the  pocket  of  his  garment,  soaking  it  in  the 
water.  She  thanked  him  with  the  childlike  sweetness 
that  was  peculiar  to  her,  and  then  tried  to  rise,  and 
willingly  allowed  him  ta  support  her.  She  was  still 
very  weary,  and  her  head  ached,  but  she  could  stand 
and  walk. 

As  soon  as  Paulus  had  satisfied  himself  that  she 
had  no  symptoms  of  fever,  he  said,  "  Now,  for  to-day, 
you  want  nothing  more  but  a  warm  mess  of  food,  and 
a  bed  sheltered  from  the  night-chill;  I  will  provide  both. 
You  sit  down  here;  the  rocks  are  already  throwing  long 
shadows,  and  before  the  sun  disappears  behind  the 
mountain  I  will  return.  While  I  am  away,  your  four- 
footed  companion  here  will  while  away  the  time." 

He  hastened  down  to  the  spring  with  quick  steps ; 
close  to  it  was  the  abandoned  cave  which  he  had 
counted  on  inhabiting  instead  of  his  former  dwelling. 
He  found  it  after  a  short  search,  and  in  it,  to  his  great 
joy,  a  well  preserved  bed  of  dried  plants,  which  he  soon 
shook  up  and  relaid,  a  hearth,  and  wood  proper  for 
producing  fire  by  friction,  a  water-jar,  and  in  a  cellar- 
like hole,  whose  opening  was  covered  with  stones  and 
so  concealed  from  any  but  a  practised  eye,  there  were 
some  cakes  of  hard  bread,  and  several  pots.  In  one 
of  these  were  some  good  dates,  in  another  gleamed 
some  white  meal,  a  third  was  half  full  of  sesame-oil,  and 
a  fourth  held  some  salt. 


178  HOMO    SUM. 

"  How  lucky  it  is,"  muttered  the  anchorite,  as  he 
quitted  the  cave,  "  that  the  old  anchorite  was  such  a 
glutton." 

By  the  time  he  returned  to  Sirona,  the  sun  was 
going  down. 

There  was  something  in  the  nature  and  demeanor 
of  Paulus,  which  made  all  distrust  of  him  impossible, 
and  Sirona  was  ready  to  follow  him,  but  she  felt  so 
weak  that  she  could  scarcely  support  herself  on  her 
feet. 

"  I  feel,"  she  said,  "  as  if  I  were  a  little  child,  and 
must  begin  again  to  learn  to  walk." 

"Then  let  me  be  your  nurse.  I  knew  a  Spartan 
dame  once,  who  had  a  beard  almost  as  rough  as  mine. 
Lean  confidently  on  me,  and  before  we  go  down  the 
slope,  we  will  go  up  and  down  the  level  here  two  or 
three  times."  She  took  his  arm,  and  he  led  her  slowly 
up  and  down. 

It  vividly  recalled  a  picture  of  the  days  of  his  youth, 
and  he  remembered  a  day  when  his  sister,  who  was  re- 
covering from  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  was  first  allowed 
to  go  out  into  the  open  air.  She  had  gone  out,  cling- 
ing to  his  arm  into  the  peristyle  of  his  father's  house ; 
as  he  walked  backward  and  forwards  with  poor,  weary, 
abandoned  Sirona,  his  neglected  figure  seemed  by  de- 
grees to  assume  the  noble  aspect  of  a  high-born  Greek ; 
and  instead  of  the  rough,  rocky  soil,  he  felt  as  if  he  were 
treading  the  beautiful  mosaic  pavement  of  his  father's 
court.  Paulus  was  Menander  again,  and  if  there  was 
little  in  the  presence  of  the  recluse,  which  could  recall  his 
identity  with  the  old  man  he  had  trodden  down,  the  de- 
spised anchorite  felt,  while  the  expelled  and  sinful  woman 
leaned  on  his  arm,  the  same  proud  sense  of  succoring  a 


HOMO    SUM.  179 

woman,  as  when  he  was  the  most  distinguished  youth 
of  a  metropolis,  and  when  he  had  led  forward  the  mas- 
ter's much  courted  daughter  in  the  midst  of  a  shouting 
troop  of  slaves. 

Sirona  had  to  remind  Paulus  that  night  was  coming 
on,  and  was  startled,  when  the  hermit  removed  her 
hand  from  his  arm  with  ungentle  haste,  and  called  to 
her  to  follow  him  with  a.  roughness  that  was  quite  new 
to  him.  She  obeyed,  and  wherever  it  was  necessary  to 
climb  over  the  rocks,  he  supported  and  lifted  her,  but 
he  only  spoke  when  she  addressed  him. 

When  they  had  reached  their  destination,  he  showed 
her  the  bed,  and  begged  her  to  keep  awake,  till  he  should 
have  prepared  a  dish  of  warm  food  for  her,  and  he 
shortly  brought  her  a  simple  supper,  and  wished  her  a 
good  night's  rest,  after  she  had  taken  it. 

Sirona  shared  the  bread  and  the  salted  meal-porridge 
with  her  dog,  and  then  lay  down  on  the  couch,  where 
she  sank  at  once  into  a  deep,  dreamless  sleep,  while 
Paulus  passed  the  night  sitting  by  the  hearth. 

He  strove  to  banish  ysleep  by  constant  prayer,  but 
fatigue  frequently  overcaime  him,  and  he  could  not  help 
thinking  of  the  Gaulish  lady,  and  of  the  many  things, 
which  if  only  he  were  still  the  rich  Menander,  he  would 
procure  in  Alexandria  for  her  and  for  her  comfort.  Not 
one  prayer  could  he  bring  to  its  due  conclusion,  for 
either  his  eyes  closed  before  he  came  to  the  "Amen," 
or  else  worldly  images  crowded  round  him,  and  forced 
him  to  begin  his  devotions  again  from  the  beginning, 
when  he  had  succeeded  in  recollecting  himself.  In  this 
half-somnolent  state  he  obtained  not  one  moment  of  in- 
ward collectedness,  of  quiet  reflection;  not  even  when 
he  gazed  up  at  the  starry  heavens,  or  looked  down  on 


180  HOMO    SUM. 

the  oasis,  veiled  in  night,  where  many  others  like  him- 
self were  deserted  by  sleep.  Which  of  the  citizens  could 
it  be  that  was  watching  by  that  light  which  he  saw 
glimmering  down  there  in  unwonted  brightness  ? — till 
he  himself,  overpowered  by  fatigue,  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  light  in  the  town,  which  had  attracted  Paulus, 
was  in  Petrus'  house,  and  burnt  in  Polykarp's  room, 
which  formed  the  whole  of  a  small  upper-story,  which 
the  senator  had  constructed  for  his  son  over  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  spacious  flat  roof  of  the  main  building. 

The  young  man  had  arrived  about  noon  with  the 
slaves  he  had  just  procured,  had  learned  all  that  had 
happened  in  his  absence,  and  had  silently  withdrawn 
into  his  own  room  after  supper  was  ended.  Here  he 
still  lingered  over  his  work. 

A  bed,  a  table  on  and  under  which  lay  a  multitude 
of  wax-tablets,  papyrus-rolls,  metal-points,  and  writing- 
reeds,  with  a  small  bench,  on  which  stood  a  water-jar 
and  basin,  composed  the  furniture  of  this  room ;  on  its 
whitewashed  walls  hung  several  admirable  carvings  in 
relief,  and  figures  of  men  and  animals  stood  near  them 
in  long  rows.  In  one  corner,  near  a  stone  water-jar, 
lay  a  large,  damp,  shining  mass  of  clay. 

Three  lamps  fastened  to  stands  abundantly  lighted 
this  work-room,  but  chiefly  a  figure  standing  on  a  high 
trestle,  which  Polykarp's  fingers  were  industriously 
moulding. 

Phcebicius  had  called  the  young  sculptor  a  fop,  and 


HOMO    SUM.  151 

not  altogether  unjustly,  for  he  loved  to  be  well  dressed 
and  was  choice  as  to  the  cut  and  color  of  his  simple 
garments,  and  he  rarely  neglected  to  arrange  his  abun- 
dant hair  with  care,  and  to  anoint  it  well;  and  yet  it  was 
almost  indifferent  to  him,  whether  his  appearance 
pleased  other  people  or  no,  but  he  knew  nothing  nobler 
than  the  human  form,  and  an  instinct,  which  he  did 
not  attempt  to  check,  impelled  him  to  keep  his  own 
person  as  nice  as  he  liked  to  see  that  of  his  neighbor. 

Now  at  this  hour  of  the  night,  he  wore  only  a  shirt 
of  white  woollen  stuff,  with  a  deep  red  border.  His 
locks,  usually  so  well-kept,  seemed  to  stand  out  from 
his  head  separately,  and  instead  of  smoothing  and  con- 
fining them,  he  added  to  their  wild  disorder,  for,  as  he 
worked,  he  frequently  passed  his  hand  through  them 
with  a  hasty  movement.  A  bat,  attracted  by  the  bright 
light,  flew  in  at  the  open  window — which  was  screened 
only  at  the  bottom  by  a  dark  curtain — and  fluttered 
round  the  ceiling;  but  he  did  not  observe  it,  for  his 
work  absorbed  his  whole  soul  and  mind.  In  this  eager 
and  passionate  occupation,  in  which  every  nerve  and 
vein  in  his  being  seemed  to  bear  a  part,  no  cry  for  help 
would  have  struck  his  ear — even  a  flame  breaking  out 
close  to  him  would  not  have  caught  his  eye.  His 
cheeks  glowed,  a  fine  dew  of  glistening  sweat  covered 
his  brow,  and  his  very  gaze  seemed  to  become  more 
and  more  firmly  riveted  to  the  sculpture  as  it  took  form 
under  his  hand.  Now  and  again  he  stepped  back  from 
it,  and  leaned  backwards  from  his  hips,  raising  his  hands 
to  the  level  of  his  temples,  as  if  to  narrow  the  field  of 
vision ;  then  he  went  up  to  the  model,  and  clutched  the 
plastic  mass  of  clay,  as  though  it  were  the  flesh  of  his 
enemy. 


182  HOMO    SUM. 

He  was  now  at  work  on  the  flowing  hair  of  the 
figure  before  him,  which  had  already  taken  the  outline 
of  a  female  head,  and  he  flung  the  bits  of  clay,  which 
he  removed  from  the  back  of  it,  to  the  ground,  as 
violently  as  though  he  were  casting  them  at  an  an- 
tagonist at  his  feet.  Again  his  finger-tips  and  modelling- 
tool  were  busy  with  the  mouth,  nose,  cheeks,  and  eyes, 
and  his  own  eyes  took  a  softer  expression,  which  gradu- 
ally grew  to  be  a  gaze  of  ecstatic  delight,  as  the  features 
he  was  moulding  began  to  agree  more  and  more  with 
the  image,  which  at  this  time  excluded  every  other  from 
his  imagination. 

At  last,  with  glowing  cheeks,  he  had  finished  round- 
ing the  soft  form  of  the  shoulders,  and  drew  back  once 
more  to  contemplate  the  effect  of  the  completed  work; 
a  cold  shiver  seized  him,  and  he  felt  himself  impelled  to 
lift  it  up,  and  dash  it  to  the  ground  with  all  his  force. 
But  he  soon  mastered  this  stormy  excitement,  he 
pushed  his  hand  through  his  hair  again  and  again,  and 
posted  himself,  with  a  melancholy  smile  and  with  folded 
hands,  in  front  of  his  creation;  sunk  deeper  and  deeper 
in  his  contemplation  of  it,  he  did  not  observe  that  the 
door  behind  him  was  opened,  although  the  flame  of  his 
lamps  flickered  in  the  draught,  and  that  his  mother  had 
entered  the  work-room,  and  by  no  means  endeavored 
to  approach  him  unheard,  or  to  surprise  him.  In  her 
anxiety  for  her  darling,  who  had  gone  through  so  many 
bitter  experiences  during  the  past  day,  she  had  not  been 
able  to  sleep.  Polykarp's  room  lay  above  her  bed- 
room, and  when  his  steps  over  head  betrayed  that, 
though  it  was  now  near  morning,  he  had  not  yet  gone 
to  rest,  she  had  risen  from  her  bed  without  waking 
Petrus,  who  seemed  to  be  sleeping.      She  obeyed  her 


HOMO    SUM.  183 

motherly  impulse  to  encourage  Polykarp  with  some 
loving  words,  and  climbing  up  the  narrow  stair  that  led 
to  the  roof,  she  went  into  his  room.  Surprised,  irreso- 
lute, and  speechless  she  stood  for  some  time  behind  the 
young  man,  and  looked  at  the  strongly  illuminated  and 
beautiful  features  of  the  newly-formed  bust,  which  was 
only  too  like  its  well-known  prototype.  At  last  she  laid 
her  hand  on  her  son's  shoulder,  and  spoke  his  name. 

Polykarp  stepped  back,  and  looked  at  his  mother  in 
bewilderment,  like  a  man  roused  from  sleep;  but  she 
interrupted  the  stammering  speech  with  which  he  tried 
to  greet  her,  by  saying,  gravely  and  not  without 
severity,  as  she  pointed  to  the  statue,  "  What  does  this 
mean  ?" 

'•What  should  it  mean,  mother?"  answered  Poly- 
karp in  a  low  tone,  and  shaking  his  head  sadly.  "Ask 
me  no  more  at  present,  for  if  you  gave  me  no  rest,  and 
even  if  I  tried  to  explain  to  you  how  to-day — this  very 
day — I  have  felt  impelled  and  driven  to  make  this 
woman's  image,  still  you  could  not  understand  me — no, 
nor  any  one  else." 

"God  forbid  that  I  should  ever  understand  it!"  cried 
Dorothea.  "'Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's 
wife,  was  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  on  this  moun- 
tain. And  you?  You  think  I  could  not  understand 
you?  Who  should  understand  you  then,  if  not  your 
mother?  This  I  certainly  do  not  comprehend,  that  a 
son  of  Petrus  and  of  mine  should  have  thrown  all  the 
teaching  and  the  example  of  his  parents  so  utterly  to 
the  wind.  But  what  you  are  aiming  at  with  this  statue, 
it  seems  to  me  is  not  hard  to  guess.  As  the  forbidden- 
fruit  hangs  too  high  for  you,  you  degrade  your  art,  and 
make  to  yourself  an  image  that  resembles  her  according 


184  HOMO    SUM. 

to  your  taste.  Simply  and  plainly  it  comes  to  this;  as 
you  can  no  longer  see  the  Gaul's  wife  in  her  own  per- 
son, and  yet  cannot  exist  without  the  sweet  presence  of 
the  fair  one,  you  make  a  portrait  of  clay  to  make  love 
to,  and  you  will  carry  on  idolatry  before  it,  as  once  the 
Jews  did  before  the  golden  calf  and  the  brazen  serpent." 

Polykarp  submitted  to  his  mother's  angry  blame  in 
silence,  but  in  painful  emotion.  Dorothea  had  never 
before  spoken  to  him  thus,  and  to  hear  such  words 
from  the  very  lips  which  were  used  to  address  him  with 
such  heart-felt  tenderness,  gave  him  unspeakable  pain. 
Hitherto  she  had  always  been  inclined  to  make  excuses 
for  his  weaknesses  and  little  faults,  nay,  the  zeal  with 
which  she  had  observed  and  pointed  out  his  merits  and 
performances  before  strangers  as  well  as  before  their 
own  family,  had  often  seemed  to  him  embarrassing. 
And  now?  She  had  indeed  reason  to  blame  him,  for 
Sirona  was  the  wife  of  another,  she  had  never  even 
noticed  his  admiration,  and  now,  they  all  said,  had  com- 
mitted a  crime  for  the  sake  of  a  stranger.  It  must  seem 
both  a  mad  and  a  sirful  thing  in  the  eyes  of  men  that 
he  of  all  others  should  sacrifice  the  best  he  had — his 
Art— and  how  little  could  Dorothea,  who  usually  en- 
deavored to  understand  him,  comprehend  the  overpow- 
ering impulse  which  had  driven  him  to  his  task. 

He  loved  and  honored  his  mother  with  his  whole 
heart,  and  feeling  that  she  was  doing  herself  an  injustice 
by  her  false  and  low  estimate  of  his  proceedings,  he 
interrupted  her  eager  discourse,  raising  his  hands  implor- 
ingly to  her. 

"  No,  mother,  no!"  he  exclaimed.  "As  truly  as  God 
is  my  helper,  it  is  not  so.  It  is  true  that  I  have 
moulded  this  head,  but  not  to  keep  it,  and  commit  the 


HOMO    SUM.  185 

sin  of  worshipping  it,  but  rather  to  free  myself  from  the 
image  that  stands  before  my  mind's  eye  by  day  and  by 
night,  in  the  city  and  in  the  desert,  whose  beauty  dis- 
tracts my  mind  when  I  think,  and  my  devotions  when 
I  try  to  pray.  To  whom  is  it  given  to  read  the  soul  of 
man?  And  is  not  Sirona's  form  and  face  the  loveliest 
image  of  the  Most  High?  So  to  represent  it,  that  the 
whole  charm  that  her  presence  exercises  over  me  might 
also  be  felt  by  every  beholder,  is  a  task  that  I  have  set 
myself  ever  since  her  arrival  in  our  house.  I  had  to  go 
back  to  the  capital,  and  the  work  I  longed  to  achieve 
took  a  clearer  form;  at  every  hour  I  discovered  some- 
thing to  change  and  to  improve  in  the  pose  of  the  head, 
the  glance  of  the  eye  or  the  expression  of  the  mouth. 
But  still  I  lacked  courage  to  put  the  work  in  hand,  for 
it  seemed  too  audacious  to  attempt  to  give  reality  to  the 
glorious  image  in  my  soul,  by  the  aid  of  gray  clay  and 
pale  cold  marble;  to  reproduce  it  so  that  the  perfect  work 
should  delight  the  eye  of  sense,  no  less  than  the  image 
enshrined  in  my  breast  delights  my  inward  eye.  At  the 
same  time  I  was  not  idle,  I  gained  the  prize  for  the 
model  of  the  lions,  and  if  I  have  succeeded  with  the 
Good  Shepherd  blessing  the  flock,  which  is  for  the  sar- 
cophagus of  Comes,  and  if  the  master  could  praise  the 
expression  of  devoted  tenderness  in  the  look  of  the  Re- 
deemer, I  know — nay,  do  not  interrupt  me,  mother,  for 
what  I  felt  was  a  pure  emotion  and  no  sin — I  know 
that  it  was  because  I  was  myself  so  full  of  love,  that  I 
was  enabled  to  inspire  the  very  stone  with  love.  At 
last  I  had  no  peace,  and  even  without  my  father's 
orders  I  must  have  returned  home;  then  I  saw  her 
again,  and  found  her  even  more  lovely  than  the  image 
which  reigned  in  my  soul.     I  heard  her  voice,  and  her 


1.86  HOMO    SUM. 

silvery  bell-like  laughter — and  then — and  then — .  You 
know  very  well  what  I  learned  yesterday.  The  un- 
worthy wife  of  an  unworthy  husband,  the  woman  Sirona, 
is  gone  from  me  for  ever,  and  I  was  striving  to  drive 
her  image  from  my  soul,  to  annihilate  it  and  dissipate 
it — but  in  vain !  and  by  degrees  a  wonderful  stress  of 
creative  power  came  upon  me.  I  hastily  placed  the 
lamps,  took  the  clay  in  my  hand,  and  feature  by  feature 
I  brought  forth  with  bitter  joy  the  image  that  is  deeply 
graven  in  my  heart,  believing  that  thus  I  might  be 
released  from  the  spell.  There  is  the  fruit  which  was 
ripened  in  my  heart,  but  there,  where  it  so  long  has 
dwelt,  I  feel  a  dismal  void,  and  if  the  husk  which  so 
long  tenderly  enfolded  this  image  were  to  wither  and 
fall  asunder,  I  should  not  wonder  at  it. — To  that  thing 
there  clings  the  best  part  of  my  life." 

"Enough!"  exclaimed  Dorothea,  interrupting  her 
son  who  stood  before  her  in  great  agitation  and  with 
trembling  lips.  "God  forbid  that  that  mask  there 
should  destroy  your  life  and  soul.  I  suffer  nothing 
impure  within  my  house,  and  -you  should  not  in  your 
heart.  That  which  is  evil  can  never  more  be  fair,  and 
however  lovely  the  face  there  may  look  to  you,  it  looks 
quite  as  repulsive  to  me  when  I  reflect  that  it  probably 
smiled  still  more  fascinatingly  on  some  strolling  beggar. 
If  the  Gaul  brings  her  back  I  will  turn  her  out  of  my 
house,  and  I  will  destroy  her  image  with  my  own  hands 
if  you  do  not  break  it  in  pieces  on  the  spot." 

Dorothea's  eyes  were  swimming  in  tears  as  she 
spoke  these  words.  She  had  felt  with  pride  and  emotion 
during  her  son's  speech  how  noble  and  high-minded  he 
was,  and  the  idea  that  this  rare  and  precious  treasure 
should  be  spoilt  or  perhaps  altogether  ruined  for  the 


HOMO    SUM.  187 

sake  of  a  lost  woman,  drove  her  to  desperation,  and 
filled  her  motherly  heart  with  indignation. 

Firmly  resolved  to  carry  out  her  threat  she  stepped 
towards  the  figure,  but  Polykarp  placed  himself  in  her 
way,  raising  his  arm  imploringly  to  defend  it,  and  say- 
ing, "  Not  to-day — not  yet,  mother !  I  will  cover  it 
up,  and  will  not  look  at  it  again  till  to-morrow,  but 
once — only  once — I  must  see  it  again  by  sunlight." 

"  So  that  to-morrow  the  old  madness  may  revive  in 
you  ! "  cried  Dorothea.  "  Move  out  of  my  way  or  take 
the  hammer  yourself." 

"  You  order  it,  and  you  are  my  mother,"  said  Poly- 
karp. 

,  He  slowly  went  up  to  the  chest  in  which  his  tools 
and  instruments  lay,  and  bitter  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks, 
as  he  took  his  heaviest  hammer  in  his  hand. 

When  the  sky  has  shown  for  many  days  in  summer- 
blue,  and  then  suddenly  the  clouds  gather  for  a  storm, 
when  the  first  silent  but  fearful  flash  with  it  noisy  but 
harmless  associate  the  thunder-clap  has  terrified  the 
world,  a  second  and  third  thunder-bolt  immediately 
follow.  Since  the  stormy  night  of  yesterday  had  broken 
in  on  the  peaceful,  industrious,  and  monotonous  life  by 
the  senator's  hearth,  many  things  had  happened  that 
had  filled  him  and  his  wife  with  fresh  anxiety. 

In  other  houses  it  was  nothing  remarkable  that  a 
slave  should  run  away,  but  in  the  senator's  it  was  more 
than  twenty  years  since  such  a  thing  had  occurred,  and 
yesterday  the  goat-herd  Miriam  had  disappeared.  This 
was  vexatious,  but  the  silent  sorrow  of  his  son  Polykarp 
was  a  greater  anxiety  to  Petrus.  It  did  not  please  him 
that  the  youth,  who  was  usually  so  vehement,  should 
submit    unresistingly    and    almost   indifferently    to    the 


1 88  HOMO    SUM. 

Bishop  Agapitus,  who  prohibited  his  completing  his 
lions.  His  son's  sad  gaze,  his  crushed  and  broken  as- 
pect were  still  in  his  mind  when  at  last  he  went  to  rest 
for  the  night;  it  was  already  late,  but  sleep  avoided 
him  even  as  it  had  avoided  Dorothea.  While  the 
mother  was  thinking  of  her  son's  sinful  love  and  the 
bleeding  wound  in  his  young  and  betrayed  heart,  the 
father  grieved  for  Polykarp's  baffled  hopes  of  exercising 
his  art  on  a  great  work  and  recalled  the  saddest,  bitterest 
day  of  his  own  youth;  for  he  too  had  served  his  ap- 
prenticeship under  a  sculptor  in  Alexandria,  had  looked 
up  to  the  works  of  the  heathen  as  noble  models,  and 
striven  to  form  himself  upon  them.  He  had  already 
been  permitted  by  his  master  to  execute  designs  of  his 
own,  and  out  of  the  abundance  of  subjects  which  of- 
fered themselves,  he  had  chosen  to  model  an  Ariadne, 
waiting  and  longing  for  the  return  of  Theseus,  as  a 
symbolic  image  of  his  own  soul  awaiting  its  salvation. 
How  this  work  had  filled  his  mind !  how  delightful  had 
the  hours  of  labor  seemed  to  him! — when,  suddenly, 
his  stern  father  had  come  to  the  city,  had  seen  his  work 
before  it  was  quite  finished,  and  instead  of  praising  it 
had  scorned  it ;  had  abused  it  as  a  heathen  idol,  and 
had  commanded  Petrus  to  return  home  with  him  im- 
mediately, and  to  remain  there,  for  that  his  son  should 
be  a  pious  Christian,  and  a  good  stone-mason  withal — 
not  half  a  heathen,  and  a  maker  of  false  gods. 

Petrus  had  much  loved  his  art,  but  he  offered  no  re- 
sistance to  his  father's  orders;  he  followed  him  back  to 
the  oasis,  there  to  superintend  the  work  of  the  slaves 
who  hewed  the  stone,  to  measure  granite-blocks  for 
sarcophagi  and  pillars,  and  to  direct  the  cutting  of  them. 

His  father  was  a  man  of  steel,  and  he  himself  a  lad 


HOMO    SUM.  189 

of  iron,  and  when  he  saw  himself  compelled  to  yield  to 
his  father  and  to  leave  his  master's  workshop,  to  aban- 
don his  cherished  and  unfinished  work  and  to  become 
an  artizan  and  man  of  business,  he  swore  never  again 
to  take  a  piece  of  clay  in  his  hand,  or  to  wield  a  chisel. 
And  he  kept  his  word  even  after  his  fathers  death;  but 
his  creative  instincts  and  love  of  art  continued  to  live 
and  work  in  him,  and  were  transmitted  to  his  two  sons. 

Antonius  was  a  highly  gifted  artist,  and  if  Poly- 
karp's  master  was  not  mistaken,  and  if  he  himself  were 
not  misled  by  fatherly  affection,  his  second  son  was  on 
the  high  road  to  the  very  first  rank  in  art — to  a  position 
reached  only  by  elect  spirits. 

Petrus  knew  the  models  for  the  Good  Shepherd  and 
for  the  lions,  and  declared  to  himself  that  these  last 
were  unsurpassable  in  truth,  power,  and  majesty.  How 
eagerly  must  the  young  artist  long  to  execute  them  in 
hard  stone,  and  to  see  them  placed  in  the  honored, 
though  indeed  pagan,  spot,  which  was  intended  for 
them.  And  now  the  bishop  forbade  him  the  work,  and 
the  poor  fellow  might  well  be  feeling  just  as  he  himself 
had  felt  thirty  years  ago,  when  he  had  been  commanded 
to  abandon  the  immature  first-fruits  of  his  labor. 

Was  the  bishop  indeed  right?  This  and  many 
other  questions  agitated  the  sleepless  father,  and  as 
soon  as  he  heard  that  his  wife  had  risen  from  her  bed 
to  go  to  her  son,  whose  footsteps  he  too  could  hear 
overhead,  he  got  up  and  followed  her. 

He  found  the  door  of  the  work-room  open,  and,* 
himself  unseen  and  unheard,  he  was  witness  to  his 
wife's  vehement  speech,  and  to  the  lad's  justification, 
while  Polykarp's  work  stood  in  the  full  light  of  the 
lamps,  exactly  in  front  of  him. 


I90  HOMO    SUM. 

His  gaze  was  spell-bound  to  the  mass  of  clay;  he 
looked  and  looked,  and  was  not  weary  of  looking,  and 
his  soul  swelled  with  the  same  awe-struck  sense  of  de- 
vout admiration  that  it  had  experienced,  when  for  the 
first  time,  in  his  early  youth,  he  saw  with  his  own  eyes 
the  works  of  the  great  old  Athenian  masters  in  the 
Caesareum. 

And  this  head  was  his  son's  work! 

He  stood  there  greatly  overcome,  his  hands  clasped 
together,  holding  his  breath  till  his  mouth  was  dry,  and 
swallowing  his  tears  to  keep  them  from  falling.  At  the 
same  time  he  listened  with  anxious  attention,  so  as  not 
to  lose  one  word  of  Polykarp's. 

"Aye,  thus  and  thus  only  are  great  works  of  art 
begotten,"  said  he  to  himself,  "and  if  the  Lord  had 
bestowed  on  me  such  gifts  as  on  this  lad,  no  father,  nay, 
no  god,  should  have  compelled  me  to  leave  my  Ariadne 
unfinished.  The  attitude  of  the  body  was  not  bad  I 
should  say — but  the  head,  the  face — Aye,  the  man  who 
can  mould  such  a  likeness  as  that  has  his  hand  and  eye 
guided  by  the  holy  spirits  of  art.  He  who  has  done 
that  head  will  be  praised  in  the  latter  days  together 
with  the  great  Athenian  masters — and  he — yes,  he,  mer- 
ciful Heaven!  he  is  my  own  beloved  son!" 

A  blessed  sense  of  rejoicing,  such  as  he  had  not  felt 
since  his  early  youth,  filled  his  heart,  and  Dorothea's 
ardor  seemed  to  him  half  pitiful  and  half  amusing. 

It  was  not  till  his  duteous  son  took  the  hammer  in 
his  hand,  that  he  stepped  between  his  wife  and  the 
bust,  saying  kindly: 

"There  will  be  time  enough  to-morrow  to  destroy 
the  work.  Forget  the  model,  my  son,  now  that  you 
have  taken  advantage  of  it  so  successfully.     I  know  of 


HOMO    SUM.  191 

a  better  mistress  for  you — Art — to  whom  belongs  every- 
thing of  beauty  that  the  Most  High  has  created — Art  in 
all  its  breadth  and  fulness,  not  fettered  and  narrowed 
by  any  Agapitus." 

Polykarp  flung  himself  into  his  father's  arms,  and 
the  stern  man,  hardly  master  of  his  emotions,  kissed 
the  boy's  forehead,  his  eyes,  and  his  cheeks. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

At  noon  of  the  following  day  the  senator  went  to 
the  women's  room,  and  while  he  was  still  on  the 
threshold,  he  asked  his  wife — who  was  busy  at  the 
loom — 

"Where  is  Polykarp?  I  did  not  find  him  with  An- 
tonius,  who  is  working  at  the  placing  of  the  altar,  and  I 
thought  I  might  find  him  here." 

"After  going  to  the  church,"  said  Dorothea,  "he 
went  up  the  mountain.  Go  down  to  the  work- 
shops, Marthana,  and  see  if  your  brother  has  come 
back." 

Her  daughter  obeyed  quickly  and  gladly,  for  her 
brother  was  to  her  the  dearest,  and  seemed  to  her  to  be 
the  best,  of  men.  As  soon  as  the  pair  were  alone  to- 
gether Petrus  said,  while  he  held  out  his  hand  to  his 
wife  with  genial  affection,  "Well,  mother — shake 
hands."  Dorothea  paused  for  an  instant,  looking  him 
in  the  face,  as  if  to  ask  him,  "  Does  your  pride  at  last 
allow  you  to  cease  doing  me  an  injustice?"  It  was  a 
reproach,  but  in  truth  not  a  severe  one,  or  her  lips 
would  hardly  have  trembled  so  tenderly,  as  she  said, 


192  HOMO    SUM. 

"You  cannot  be  angry  with  me  any  longer,  and  it  is 
well  that  all  should  once  more  be  as  it  ought." 

All  certainly  had  not  been  "as  it  ought,"  for  since 
the  husband  and  wife  had  met  in  Polykarp's  work-room, 
they  had  behaved  to  each  other  as  if  they  were 
strangers.  In  their  bedroom,  on  the  way  to  church, 
and  at  breakfast,  they  had  spoken  to  each  no  more  than 
was  absolutely  necessary,  or  than  was  requisite  in  order 
to  conceal  their  difference  from  the  servants  and 
children.  Up  to  this  time,  an  understanding  had 
always  subsisted  between  them  that  had  never  taken 
form  in  words,  and  yet  that  had  scarcely  in  a  single 
case  been  infringed,  that  neither  should  ever  praise  one 
of  their  children  for  anything  that  the  other  thought 
blameworthy,  and  vice  versa. 

But  in  this  night,  her  husband  had  followed  up  her 
severest  condemnation  by  passionately  embracing  the 
wrong-doer.  Never  had  she  been  so  stern  in  any  cir- 
cumstances, while  on  the  other  hand  her  husband,  so 
long  as  she  could  remember,  had  never  been  so  soft- 
hearted and  tender  to  his  son,  and  yet  she  had  con- 
trolled herself  so  far,  as  not  to  contradict  Petrus  in 
Polykarp's  presence,  and  to  leave  the  work-room  in 
silence  with  her  husband. 

"When  we  are  once  alone  together  in  the  bed- 
room," thought  she,  "  I  will  represent  to  him  his  error 
as  I  ought,  and  he  will  have  to  answer  for  himself." 

But  she  did  not  carry  out  this  purpose,  for  she  felt 
that  something  must  be  passing  in  her  husband's  mind 
that  she  did  not  understand;  otherwise  how  could  his 
grave  eyes  shine  so  mildly  and  kindly,  and  his  stern 
lips  smile  so  affectionately  after  all  that  had  occurred 
when  he,  lamp  in  hand,  had  mounted  the  narrow  stair. 


HOMO    SUM.  193 

He  had  often  told  her  that  she  could  read  his  soul  like 
an  open  book,  but  she  did  not  conceal  from  herself 
that  there  were  certain  sides  of  that  complex  structure 
whose  meaning  she  was  incapable  of  comprehending. 
And  strange  to  say,  she  ever  and  again  came  upon 
these  incomprehensible  phases  of  his  soul,  when  the 
images  of  the  gods,  and  the  idolatrous  temples  of  the 
heathen,  or  when  their  sons'  enterprises  and  work  were 
the  matters  in  hand.  And  yet  Petrus  was  the  son  of  a 
pious  Christian ;  but  his  grandfather  had  been  a  Greek 
heathen,  and  hence  perhaps  a  certain  something 
wrought  in  his  blood  which  tormented  her,  because  she 
could  not  reconcile  it  with  Agapitus'  doctrine,  but 
which  she  nevertheless  dared  not  attempt  to  oppose 
because  her  taciturn  husband  never  spoke  out  with  so 
much  cheerfulness  and  frankness  as  when  he  might 
talk  of  these  things  with  his  sons  and  their  friends,  who 
often  accompanied  them  to  the  oasis.  Certainly,  it 
could  be  nothing  sinful  that  at  this  particular  moment 
seemed  to  light  up  her  husband's  face,  and  restore  his 
youth. 

"They  just  are  men,"  said  she  to  herself,  "and  in 
many  things  they  have  the  advantage  of  us  women. 
The  old  man  looks  as  he  did  on  his  wedding-day! 
Polykarp  is  the  very  image  of  him,  as  every  one  says, 
and  now,  looking  at  the  father,  and  recalling  to  my 
mind  how  the  boy  looked  when  he  told  me  how  he 
could  not  refrain  from  making  Sirona's  portrait,  I  must 
say  that  I  never  saw  such  a  likeness  in  the  whole 
course  of  my  life." 

He  bid  her  a  friendly  good  night,  and  extinguished 
the  lamp.  She  would  willingly  have  said  a  loving  word 
to  him,  for  his  contented  expression  touched  and  com- 


194  HOMO    SUM. 

forted  her,  but  that  would  just  then  have  been  too  much 
after  what  she  had  gone  through  in  her  son's  work- 
room. In  former  years  it  had  happened  pretty  often 
that,  when  one  of  them  had  caused  dissatisfaction  to 
the  other,  and  there  had  been  some  quarrel  between 
them,  they  had  gone  to  rest  unreconciled,  but  the  older 
they  grew  the  more  rarely  did  this  occur,  and  it  was 
now  a  long  time  since  any  shadow  had  fallen  on  the 
perfect  serenity  of  their  married  life. 

Three  years  ago,  on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage 
of  their  eldest  son,  they  had  been  standing  together, 
looking  up  at  the  starry  sky,  when  Petrus  had  come 
close  up  to  her,  and  had  said,  "  How  calmly  and  peace- 
fully the  wanderers  up  there  follow  their  roads  without 
jostling  or  touching  one  another!  As  I  walked  home 
alone  from  the  quarries  by  their  friendly  light,  I  thought 
of  many  things.  Perhaps  there  was  once  a  time  when 
the  stars  rushed  wildly  about  in  confusion,  crossing  each 
other's  path,  while  many  a  star  flew  in  pieces  at  the 
impact.  Then  the  Lord  created  man,  and  love  came 
into  the  world  and  filled  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
and  he  commanded  the  stars  to  be  our  light  by  night; 
then  each  began  to  respect  the  path  of  the  other,  and 
the  stars  more  rarely  came  into  collision  till  even  the 
smallest  and  swiftest  kept  to  its  own  path  and  its  own 
period,  and  the  shining  host  above  grew  to  be  as  har- 
monious as  it  is  numberless.  Love  and  a  common 
purpose  worked  this  marvel,  for  he  who  loves  another, 
will  do  him  no  injury,  and  he  who  is  bound  to  perfect 
a  work  with  the  help  of  another,  will  not  hinder  nor 
delay  him.  We  two  have  long  since  found  the  right 
road,  and  if  at  any  time  one  of  us  is  inclined  to  cross 
the  path  of  the  other,  we  are  held  back  by  love  and  by 


HOMO    SUM.  195 

our  common  duty,  namely  to  shed  a  pure  light  on  the 
path  of  our  children." 

Dorothea  had  never  forgotten  these  words,  and  they 
came  into  her  mind  now  again  when  Petrus  held  out 
his  hand  to  her  so  warmly;  as  she  laid  hers  in  it,  she 
said: 

"  For  the  sake  of  dear  peace,  well  and  good — but 
one  thing  I  cannot  leave  unsaid.  Soft-hearted  weak- 
ness is  not  usually  your  defect,  but  you  will  utterly 
spoil  Polykarp." 

"  Leave  him,  let  us  leave  him  as  he  is,"  cried  Petrus, 
kissing  his  wife's  brow.  "  It  is  strange  how  we  have 
exchanged  parts!  Yesterday  you  were  exhorting  me 
to  mildness  towards  the  lad,  and  to-day — " 

"  To-day  I  am  severer  than  you,"  interrupted  Doro- 
thea. "  Who,  indeed,  could  guess  that  an  old  gray- 
beard  would  derogate  from  the  duties  of  his  office  as 
father  and  as  judge  for  the  sake  of  a  woman's  smiling 
face  in  clay — as  Esau  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of 
pottage?" 

"And  to  whom  would  it  occur,"  asked  Petrus,  tak- 
ing up  his  wife's  tone,  "  that  so  tender  a  mother  as  you 
would  condemn  her  favorite  son,  because  he  labored  to 
earn  peace  for  his  soul  by  a  deed — by  a  work  for  which 
his  master  might  envy  him  ?  " 

"  I  have  indeed  observed,"  interrupted  Dorothea, 
"  that  Sirona's  image  has  bewitched  you,  and  you  speak 
as  if  the  boy  had  achieved  some  great  miracle.  I  do 
not  know  much  about  modelling  and  sculpture,  and  I 
will  not  contradict  you,  but  if  the  fair-haired  creature's 
face  were  less  pretty,  and  if  Polykarp  had  not  executed 
any  thing  remarkable,  would  it  have  made  the  smallest 
difference  in  what  he  has  done  and  felt  wrong  ?     Cer- 


196  HOMO    SUM. 

tainly  not.  But  that  is  just  like  men,  they  care  only 
for  success," 

"And  with  perfect  justice,"  answered  Petrus,  "if 
the  success  is  attained,  not  in  mere  child's  play,  but  by 
a  severe  struggle.  'To  him,  that  hath,  shall  more  be 
given,'  says  the  scripture,  and  he  who  has  a  soul  more 
richly  graced  than  others  have — he  who  is  helped  by 
good  spirits — he  shall  be  forgiven  many  things  that 
even  a  mild  judge  would  be  unwilling  to  pardon  in  a 
man  of  poor  gifts,  who  torments  and  exerts  himself  and 
yet  brings  nothing  to  perfection.  Be  kind  to  the  boy 
again.  Do  you  know  what  prospect  lies  before  you 
through  him  ?  You  yourself  in  your  life  have  done 
much  good,  and  spoken  much  wisdom,  and  I,  and  the 
children,  and  the  people  in  this  place,  will  never  forget 
it  all.  But  I  can  promise  you  the  gratitude  of  the  best 
and  noblest  who  now  live  or  who  will  live  in  centuries 
to  come — for  that  you  are  the  mother  of  Polykarp!" 

"And  people  say,"  cried  Dorothea,  "that  every 
mother  has  four  eyes  for  her  children's  merits.  If  that 
is  true,  then  fathers  no  doubt  have  ten,  and  you  as 
many  as  Argus,  of  whom  the  heathen  legend  speaks — 
But  there  comes  Polykarp." 

Petrus  went  forward  to  meet  his  son,  and  gave  him 
his  hand,  but  in  quite  a  different  manner  to  what  he 
had  formerly  shown ;  at  least  it  seemed  to  Dorothea 
that  her  husband  received  the  youth,  no  longer  as  his 
father  and  master,  but  as  a  friend  greets  a  friend  who  is 
his  equal  in  privileges  and  judgment.  When  Polykarp 
turned  to  greet  her  also  she  colored  all  over,  for  the 
thought  flashed  through  her  mind  that  her  son,  when 
he  thought  of  the  past  night,  must  regard  her  as  unjust 
or  foolish;  but  she  soon  recovered  her  own  calm  equa- 


HOMO    SUM.  197 

nimity,  for  Polykarp  was  the  same  as  ever,  and  she  read 
in  his  eyes  that  he  felt  towards  her  the  same  as  yester- 
day and  as  ever. 

"  Love,"  thought  she,  "  is  not  extinguished  by  in- 
justice, as  fire  is  by  water.  It  blazes  up  brighter  or  less 
bright,  no  doubt,  according  to  the  way  the  wind  blows, 
but  it  cannot  be  wholly  smothered — least  of  all  by 
death." 

Polykarp  had  been  up  the  mountain,  and  Dorothea 
was  quite  satisfied  when  he  related  what  had  led  him 
thither.  He  had  long  since  planned  the  execution  of 
a  statue  of  Moses,  and  when  his  father  had  left  him,  he 
could  not  get  the  tall  and  dignified  figure  of  the  old 
man  out  of  his  mind.  He  felt  that  he  had  found  the 
right  model  for  his  work.  He  must,  he  would  forget — 
and  he  knew,  that  he  could  only  succeed  if  he  found  a 
task  which  might  promise  to  give  some  new  occupation 
to  his  bereaved  soul.  Still,  he  had  seen  the  form  of  the 
mighty  man  of  God  which  he  proposed  to  model,  only 
in  vague  outline  before  his  mind's  eye,  and  he  had  been 
prompted  to  go  to  a  spot  whither  many  pilgrims  re- 
sorted, and  which  was  known  as  the  Place  of  Commun- 
ion, because  it  was  there  that  the  Lord  had  spoken  to 
Moses.  There  Polykarp  had  spent  some  time,  for 
there,  if  anywhere — there,  where  the  Law-giver  himself 
had  stood,  must  he  find  right  inspiration. 

"  And  you  have  accomplished  your  end  ?  "  asked  his 
father. 

Polykarp  shook  his  head. 

"  If  you  go  often  enough  to  the  sacred  spot,  it  will 
come  to  you,"  said  Dorothea.  "  The  beginning  is  al- 
ways the  chief  difficulty;  only  begin  at  once  to  model 
your  father's  head." 


igS  HOMO   SUM. 

"  I  have  already  begun  it,"  replied  Polykarp,  "  but 
I  am  still  tired  from  last  night." 

"You  look  pale,  and  have  dark  lines  under  your 
eyes,"  said  Dorothea  anxiously.  "  Go  up  stairs  and  lie 
down  to  rest.  I  will  follow  you  and  bring  you  a  beak- 
er of  old  wine." 

"  That  will  not  hurt  him,"  said  Petrus,  thinking  as 
he  spoke — "  A  draught  of  Lethe  would  serve  him  even 
better." 

When,  an  hour  later,  the  senator  sought  his  son  in 
his  work-room,  he  found  him  sleeping,  and  the  wine 
stood  untouched  on  the  table.  Petrus  softly  laid  his 
hand  on  his  son's  forehead  and  found  it  cool  and  free 
from  fever.  Then  he  went  quietly  up  to  the  portrait 
of  Sirona,  raised  the  cloth  with  which  it  was  covered, 
and  stood  before  it  a  long  time  sunk  in  thought.  At 
last  he  drew  back,  covered  it  up  again,  and  examined 
the  models  which  stood  on  a  shelf  fastened  to  the 
wall. 

A  small  female  figure  particularly  fixed  his  atten- 
tion, and  he  was  taking  it  admiringly  in  his  hand  when 
Polykarp  awoke. 

"  That  is  the  image  of  the  goddess  of  fate — that  is  a 
Tyche,"  said  Petrus. 

"  Do  not  be  angry  with  me,  father,"  entreated  Poly- 
karp. "  You  know,  the  figure  of  a  Tyche  is  to  stand  in 
the  hand  of  the  statue  of  the  Caesar  that  is  intended  for 
the  new  city  of  Constantine,  and  so  I  have  tried  to  rep- 
resent the  goddess.  The  drapery  and  pose  of  the 
arms,  I  think,  have  succeeded,  but  I  failed  in  the  head." 

Petrus,  who  had  listened  to  him  with  attention, 
glanced  involuntarily  at  the  head  of  Sirona,  and  Poly- 
karp followed  his  eyes  surprised  and  almost  startled. 


HOMO    SUM.  199 

t 

The  father  and  son  had  understood  each  other,  and 
Polykarp  said,  "I  had  already  thought  of  that." 

"  Then  he  sighed  bitterly,  and  said  to  himself,  "  Yes 
and  verily,  she  is  the  goddess  of  my  fate."  But  he 
dared  not  utter  this  aloud. 

But  Petrus  had  heard  him  sigh,  and  said,  "  Let 
that  pass.  This  head  smiles  with  sweet  fascination, 
and  the  countenance  of  the  goddess  that  rules  the 
actions  even  of  the  immortals,  should  be  stern  and 
grave." 

Polykarp  could  contain  himself  no  longer. 

"  Yes,  father,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Fate  is  terrible — 
and  yet  I  will  represent  the  goddess  with  a  smiling 
mouth,  for  that  which  is  most  terrible  in  her  is,  that  she 
rules  not  by  stern  laws,  but  smiles  while  she  makes  us 
her  sport." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

It  was  a  splendid  morning;  not  a  cloud  dimmed 
the  sky  which  spread  high  above  desert,  mountain,  and 
oasis,  like  an  arched  tent  of  uniform  deep-blue  silk. 
How  delicious  it  is  to  breathe  the  pure,  light,  aromatic 
air  on  the  heights,  before  the  rays  of  the  sun  acquire 
their  mid-day  power,  and  the  shadows  of  the  heated 
porphyry  cliffs,  growing  shorter  and  shorter,  at  last 
wholly  disappear! 

With  what  delight  did  Sirona  inhale  this  pure  at- 
mosphere, when  after  a  long  night — the  fourth  that  she 
had  passed  in  the  anchorite's  dismal  cave — she  stepped 
out  into  the  air.     Paulus  sat  by  the  hearth,  and  was  so 


200  HOMO    SUM. 

busily  engaged  with  some  carving,  that  he  did  not  ob- 
serve her  approach. 

" Kind  good  man!"  thought  Sirona,  as  she  perceived 
a  steaming  pot  on  the  fire,  and  the  palm-branches 
which  the  Alexandrian  had  fastened  up  by  the  entrance 
to  the  cave,  to  screen  her  from  the  mounting  sun.  She 
knew  the  way  without  a  guide  to  the  spring  from  which 
Paulus  had  brought  her  water  at  their  first  meeting,  and 
she  now  slipped  away,  and  went  down  to  it  with  a  pret- 
ty little  pitcher  of  burnt  clay  in  her  hand.  Paulus  did 
indeed  see  her,  but  he  made  as  though  he  neither  saw 
nor  heard,  for  he  knew  she  was  going  there  to  wash 
herself,  and  to  dress  and  smarten  herself  as  well  as 
might  be — for  was  she  not  a  woman!  When  she  re- 
turned, she  looked  not  less  fresh  and  charming  than  on 
that  morning  when  she  had  been  seen  and  watched  by 
Hermas.  True,  her  heart  was  sore,  true,  she  was  per- 
plexed and  miserable,  but  sleep  and  rest  had  long  since 
eiTaced  from  her  healthy,  youthful,  and  elastic  frame  all 
traces  left  by  that  fearful  day  of  flight;  and  fate,  which 
often  means  best  by  us  when  it  shows  us  a  hostile  face, 
had  sent  her  a  minor  anxiety  to  divert  her  from  her 
graver  cares. 

Her  greyhound  was  very  ill,  and  it  seemed  that  in 
the  ill-treatment  it  had  experienced,  not  only  its  leg  had 
been  broken,  but  that  it  had  suffered  some  internal  in- 
jury. The  brisk,  lively  little  creature  fell  down  power- 
less when  ever  it  tried  to  stand,  and  when  she  took  it 
up  to  nurse  it  comfortably  in  her  lap,  it  whined  pitifully, 
and  looked  up  at  her  sorrowfully,  and  as  if  complaining 
to  her.  It  would  take  neither  food  nor  drink;  its  cool 
little  nose  was  hot;  and  when  she  left  the  cave,  Iambe 
lay  panting  on  the  fine  woollen  coverlet  which  Paulus 


HOMO    SUM.  20I 

had  spread  upon  the  bed,  unable  even  to  look  after 
her. 

Before  taking  the  dog  the  water  she  had  fetched  in 
the  graceful  jar — which  was  another  gift  from  her  hos- 
pitable friend — she  went  up  to  Paulus  and  greeted  him 
kindly.  He  looked  up  from  his  work,  thanked  her, 
and  a  few  minutes  later,  when  she  came  out  of  the  cave 
again,  asked  her,  "  How  is  the  poor  little  creature  ?  " 

Sirona  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  said  sadly,  "  She 
has  drunk  nothing,  and  does  not  even  know  me,  and 
pants  as  rapidly  as  last  evening — if  I  were  to  lose  the 
poor  little  beast ! — " 

She  could  say  no  more  for  emotion,  but  Paulus 
shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  sinful,"  he  said,  "  to  grieve  so  for  a  beast  de- 
void of  reason." 

"Iambe  is  not  devoid  of  reason,"  replied  Sirona. 
"And  even  if  she  were,  what  have  I  left  if  she  dies? 
She  grew  up  in  my  father's  house,  where  all  loved  me;  I 
had  her  first  when  she  was  only  a  few  days  old,  and  I 
brought  her  up  on  milk  on  a  little  bit  of  sponge. 
Many  a  time,  when  I  heard  the  little  thing  whining  for 
food,  have  I  got  out  of  bed  at  night  with  bare  feet; 
and  so  she  came  to  cling  to  me  like  a  child,  and  could 
not  do  without  me.  No  one  can  know  how  another 
feels  about  such  things.  My  father  used  to  tell  us  of  a 
spider  that  beautified  the  life  of  a  prisoner,  and  what  is 
a  dirty  dumb  creature  like  that  to  my  clever,  graceful 
little  dog!  I  have  lost  my  home,  and  here  every  one 
believes  the  worst  of  me,  although  I  have  done  no  one 
any  harm,  and  no  one,  no  one  loves  me  but  Iambe." 

"  But  I  know  of  one  who  loves  every  one  with  a  di- 
vine and  equal  love,"  interrupted  Paulus. 


202  HOMO    SUM. 

"  I  do  not  care  for  such  a  one,"  answered  Sirona.. 
"Iambe  follows  no  one  but  me;  what  good  can  a  love 
do  me  that  I  must  share  with  all  the  world!  But  you 
mean  the  crucified  God  of  the  Christians  ?  He  is  good 
and  pitiful,  so  says  Dame  Dorothea;  but  he  is  dead — I 
cannot  see  him,  nor  hear  him,  and,  certainly,  I  cannot 
long  for  one  who  only  shows  me  grace.  I  want  one  to 
whom  I  can  count  for  something,  and  to  whose  life  and 
happiness  I  am  indispensable." 

A  scarcely  perceptible  shudder  thrilled  through  the 
Alexandrian  as  she  spoke  these  words,  and  he  thought, 
as  he  glanced  at  her  face  and  figure  with  a  mingled  ex- 
pression of  regret  and  admiration,  "Satan,  before  he 
fell,  was  the  fairest  among  the  pure  spirits,  and  he  still 
has  power  over  this  woman.  She  is  still  far  from  being 
ripe  for  salvation,  and  yet  she  has  a  gentle  heart,  and 
even  if  she  has  erred,  she  is  not  lost." 

Sirona's  eyes  had  met  his,  and  she  said  with  a  sigh, 
"You  look  at  me  so  compassionately — if  only  Iambe 
were  well,  and  if  I  succeeded  in  reaching  Alexandria, 
my  destiny  would  perhaps  take  a  turn  for  the  better." 

Paulus  had  risen  while  she  spoke,  and  had  taken  the 
pot  from  the  hearth;  he  now  offered  it  to  his  guest,  say- 
ing: 

"  For  the  present  we  will  trust  to  this  broth  to  com- 
pensate to  you  for  the  delights  of  the  capital;  I  am 
glad  that  you  relish  it.  But  tell  me  now,  have  you 
seriously  considered  what  danger  may  threaten  a  beau- 
tiful, young,  and  unprotected  woman  in  the  wicked  city 
of  the  Greeks  ?  Would  it  not  be  better  that  you  should 
submit  to  the  consequences  of  your  guilt,  and  return  to 
Phoebicius,  to  whom  unfortunately  you  belong  ?  " 

Sirona,  at  these  words,  had  set  down  the  vessel  out 


HOMO    SUM.  203 

of  which  she  was  eating,  and  rising  in  passionate  haste,, 
she  exclaimed: 

"That  shall  never,  never  be! — And  when  I  was  sit- 
ting up  there  half-dead,  and  took  your  step  for  that  of 
Phcebicius,  the  gods  showed  me  a  way  to  escape  from 
him,  and  from  you  or  anyone  who  would  drag  me 
back  to  him.  When  I  fled  to  the  edge  of  the  abyss,  I 
was  raving  and  crazed,  but  what  I  then  would  have 
done  in  my  madness,  I  would  do  now  in  cold  blood — 
as  surely  as  I  hope  to  see  my  own  people  in  Arelas 
once  more !  What  was  I  once,  and  to  what  have  I  come 
through  Phcebicius!  Life  was  to  me  a  sunny  garden 
with  golden  trellises  and  shady  trees  and  waters  as 
bright  as  crystal,  with  rosy  flowers  and  singing  birds; 
and  he,  he  has  darkened  its  light,  and  fouled  its  springs, 
and  broken  down  its  flowers.  All  now  seems  dumb 
and  colorless,  and  if  the  abyss  is  my  grave,  no  one  will 
miss  me  nor  mourn  for  me." 

"  Poor  woman  !"  said  Paulus.  "Your  husband  then 
showed  you  very  little  love." 

"  Love,"  laughed  Sirona,  "  Phcebicius  and  love ! 
Only  yesterday  I  told  you,  how  cruelly  he  used  to  tor- 
ture me  after  his  feasts,  when  he  was  drunk  or  when 
he  recovered  from  one  of  his  swoons.  But  one  thing 
he  did  to  me,  one  thing  which  broke  the  last  thread  of 
a  tie  between  us.  No  one  yet  has  ever  heard  a  word 
of  it  from  me;  not  even  Dorothea,  who  often  blamed 
me  when  I  let  slip  a  hard  word  against  my  husband. 
It  was  well  for  her  to  talk — if  I  had  found  a  husband 
like  Petrus  I  might  perhaps  have  been  like  Dorothea. 
It  is  a  marvel,  which  I  myself  do  not  understand,  that 
I  did  not  grow  wicked  with  such  a  man,  a  man  who — 
why  should  I  conceal  it — who,  when  we  were  at  Rome, 


204  HOMO    SUM. 

because  he  was  in  debt,  and  because  he  hoped  to  get 
promotion  through  his  legate  Quintillus,  sold  me — me — 
to  him.  He  himself  brought  the  old  man — who  had 
often  followed  me  about — into  his  house,  but  our 
hostess,  a  good  woman,  had  overheard  the  matter,  and 
betrayed  it  all  to  me.  It  is  so  base,  so  vile — it  seems 
to  blacken  my  soul  only  to  think  of  it !  The  legate  got 
little  enough  in  return  for  his  sesterces,  but  Phcebicius 
did  not  restore  his  wages  of  sin,  and  his  rage  against 
me  knew  no  bounds  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
oasis  at  the  instigation  of  his  betrayed  chief.  Now  you 
know  all,  and  never  advise  me  again  to  return  to  that 
man  to  whom  my  misfortune  has  bound  me. 

"  Only  listen  how  the  poor  little  beast  in  there  is 
whining.  It  wants  to  come  to  me,  and  has  not  the 
strength  to  move." 

Paulus  looked  after  her  sympathetically  as  she  dis- 
appeared under  the  opening  in  the  rock,  and  he  awaited 
her  return  with  folded  arms.  He  could  not  see  into  the 
cave,  for  the  space  in  which  the  bed  stood  was  closed 
at  the  end  by  the  narrow  passage  which  formed  the 
entrance,  and  which  joined  it  at  an  angle  as  the  handle 
of  a  scythe  joins  the  blade.  She  remained  a  long  time, 
and  he  could  hear  now  and  then  a  tender  word  with 
which  she  tried  to  comfort  the  suffering  creature.  Sud- 
denly he  was  startled  by  a  loud  and  bitter  cry  from 
Sirona;  no  doubt,  the  poor  woman's  affectionate  little 
companion  was  dead,  and  in  the  dim  twilight  of  the 
cave  she  had  seen  its  dulled  eye,  and  felt  the  stiffness 
of  death  overspreading  and  paralyzing  its  slender  limbs. 
He  dared  not  go  into  the  cavern,  but  he  felt  his  eyes 
fill  with  tears,  and  he  would  willingly  have  spoken 
some  word  of  consolation  to  her. 


HOMO    SUM.  205 

At  last  she  came  out,  her  eyes  red  with  weeping. 
Paulus  had  guessed  rightly  for  she  held  the  body  of 
little  Iambe  in  her  arms. 

"How  sorry  I  am,"  said  Paulus,  "the  poor  little 
creature  was  so  pretty." 

Sirona  nodded,  sat  down,  and  unfastened  the  pret- 
tily embroidered  band  from  the  dog's  neck,  saying  hall 
to  herself,  and  half  to  Paulus,  "  My  little  Agnes  worked 
this  collar.  I  myself  had  taught  her  to  sew,  and  this 
was  the  first  piece  of  work  that  was  all  her  own."  She 
held  the  collar  up  to  the  anchorite.  "This  clasp  is  of 
real  silver,"  she  went  on,  "and  my  father  himself  gave 
it  to  me.  He  was  fond  of  the  poor  little  dog  too. 
Now  it  will  never  leap  and  spring  again,  poor  thing." 

She  looked  sadly  down  at  the  dead  dog.  Then  she 
collected  herself,  and  said  hurriedly,  "Now  I  will  go 
away  from  here.  Nothing — nothing  keeps  me  any 
longer  in  this  wilderness,  for  the  senator's  house,  where 
I  have  spent  many  happy  hours,  and  where  everyone 
was  fond  of  me,  is  closed  against  me,  and  must  ever  be 
so  long  as  he  lives  there.  If  you  have  not  been  kind 
to  me  only  to  do  me  harm  in  the  end,  let  me  go  to- 
day, and  help  me  to  reach  Alexandria." 

"Not  to-day,  in  any  case  not  to-day,"  replied 
Paulus.  "  First  I  must  find  out  when  a  vessel  sails  for 
Klysma  or  for  Berenike,  and  then  I  have  many  other 
things  to  see  to  for  you.  You  owe  me  an  answer  to 
my  question,  as  to  what  you  expect  to  do  and  to  find 
in  Alexandria.  Poor  child — the  younger  and  the  fairer 
you  are — " 

"I  know  all  you  would  say  to  me,"  interrupted 
Sirona.  "Wherever  I  have  been,  I  have  attracted  the 
eyes  of  men,  and  when  I  have  read  in  their  looks  that 


2o6  HOMO    SUM. 

I  pleased  them,  it  has  greatly  pleased  me — why  should 
I  deny  it  ?  Many  a  one  has  spoken  fair  words  to  me 
or  given  me  flowers,  and  sent  old  women  to  my  house 
to  win  me  for  them,  but  even  if  one  has  happened  to 
please  me  better  than  another,  still  I  have  never  found 
it  hard  to  send  them  home  again  as  was  fitting." 

"Till  Hermas  laid  his  love  at  your  feet,"  said  Paulus. 
"  He  is  a  bold  lad— " 

"A  pretty,  inexperienced  boy,"  said  Sirona,  "neither 
more  nor  less.  It  was  a  heedless  thing,  no  doubt,  to 
admit  him  to  my  rooms,  but  no  vestal  need  be  ashamed 
to  own  to  such  favor  as  I  showed  him.  I  am  innocent, 
and  I  will  remain  so  that  I  may  stand  in  my  father's 
presence  without  a  blush  when  I  have  earned  money 
enough  in  the  capital  for  the  long  journey." 

Paulus  looked  in  her  face  astonished  and  almost 
horrified. 

Then  he  had  in  fact  taken  on  himself  guilt  which 
did  not  exist,  and  perhaps  the  senator  would  have  been 
slower  to  condemn  Sirona,  if  it  had  not  been  for  his 
falsely  acknowledging  it.  He  stood  before  her,  feeling 
like  a  child  that  would  fain  put  together  some  object  of 
artistic  workmanship,  and  who  has  broken  it  to  pieces 
for  want  of  skill.  At  the  same  time  he  could  not  doubt 
a  word  that  she  said,  for  the  voice  within  him  had  long 
since  plainly  told  him  that  this  woman  was  no  common 
criminal. 

For  some  time  he  was  at  a  loss  for  words ;  at  last 
he  said  timidly : 

"  What  do  you  purpose  doing  in  Alexandria  ?  " 

"  Polykarp  says,  that  all  good  work  finds  a  purchaser 
there,"  she  answered.  "And  I  can  weave  particularly 
well,  and  embroider  with  gold-thread.     Perhaps  I  may 


HOMO    SUM.  207 

find  shelter  under  some  roof  where  there  are  children, 
and  I  would  willingly  attend  to  them  during  the  day. 
In  my  free  time  and  at  night  I  could  work  at  my  frame, 
and  when  I  have  scraped  enough  together  I  shall  soon 
find  a  ship  that  will  carry  me  to  Gaul,  to  my  own 
people.  Do  you  not  see  that  I  cannot  go  back  to 
Phcebicius,  and  can  you  help  me  ?  " 

"  Most  willingly,  and  better  perhaps  than  you  fancy," 
said  Paulus.  "I  cannot  explain  this  to  you  just  now; 
but  you  need  not  request  me,  but  may  rather  feel  that 
you  have  a  good  right  to  demand  of  me  that  I  should 
rescue  you." 

She  looked  at  him  in  surprised  enquiry,  and  he  con- 
tinued :  < 

"  First  let  me  carry  away  the  little  dog,  and  bury  it 
down  there.  I  will  put  a  stone  over  the  grave,  that 
you  may  know  where  it  lies.  It  must  be  so,  the  body 
cannot  lie  here  any  longer.  Take  the  thing,  which  lies 
there.  I  had  tried  before  to  cut  it  out  for  you,  for  you 
complained  yesterday  that  your  hair  was  all  in  a  tangle 
because  you  had  not  a  comb,  so  I  tried  to  carve  you 
one  out  of  bone.  There  were  none  at  the  shop  in  the 
oasis,  and  I  am  myself  only  a  wild  creature  of  the  wil- 
derness, a  sorry,  foolish  animal,  and  do  not  use  one. 
Was  that  a  stone  that  fell?  Aye,  certainly,  I  hear  a 
man's  step;  go  quickly  into  the  cave  and  do  not  stir  till 
I  call  you." 

Sirona  withdrew  into  her  rock-dwelling,  and  Paulus 
took  the  body  of  the  dog  in  his  arms  to  conceal  it  from 
the  man  who  was  approaching.  He  looked  round,  un- 
decided, and  seeking  a  hiding-place  for  it,  but  two  sharp 
eyes  had  already  detected  him  and  his  small  burden 
Drom  the  height  above  him;  before  he  had  found  a  suit- 


208  HOMO    SUM. 

able  place,  stones  were  rolling  and  crashing  down  from 
the  cliff  to  the  right  of  the  cavern,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  man  came  springing  down  with  rash  boldness  from 
rock  to  rock,  and  without  heeding  the  warning  voice  of 
the  anchorite,  flung  himself  down  the  slope,  straight  in 
front  of  him,  exclaiming,  while  he  struggled  for  breath 
and  his  face  was  hot  with  hatred  and  excitement : 

"That — I  know  it  well — that  is  Sirona's  greyhound 
— where  is  its  mistress  ?  Tell  me  this  instant,  where  is 
Sirona — I  must  and  will  know." 

Paulus  had  frequently  seen,  from  the  penitent's  room 
in  the  church,  the  senator  and  his  family  in  their  places 
near  the  altar,  and  he  was  much  astonished  to  recognize 
'in  the  daring  leaper,  who  rushed  upon  him  like  a  mad 
man  with  dishevelled  hair  and  fiery  eyes,  Polykarp, 
Petrus'  second  son. 

The  anchorite  found  it  difficult  to  preserve  his  calm, 
and  composed  demeanor,  for  since  he  had  been  aware 
that  he  had  accused  Sirona  falsely  of  a  heavy  sin,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  had  equally  falsely  confessed  him- 
self the  partner  of  her  misdeed,  he  felt  an  anxiety  that 
amounted  to  anguish,  and  a  leaden  oppression  checked 
the  rapidity  of  his  thoughts.  He  at  first  stammered  out 
a  few  unintelligible  words,  but  his  opponent  was  in  fear- 
ful earnest  with  his  question ;  he  seized  the  collar  of  the 
anchorite's  coarse  garment  with  terrible  violence,  and 
cried  in  a  husky  voice,  "Where  did  you  find  the  dog? 
Where  is—?" 

But  suddenly  he  left  go  his  hold  of  the  Alexandrian, 
looked  at  him  from  head  to  foot,  and  said  softly  and 
slowly : 

"  Can  it  be  possible  ?  Are  you  Paulus,  the  Alexan- 
drian ?  " 


HOMO    SUM. 


>.og 


The  anchorite  nodded  assent.  Polykarp  laughed 
loud  and  bitterly,  pressed  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  and 
exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  the  deepest  disgust  and  con- 
tempt : 

"  And  is  it  so,  indeed !  and  such  a  repulsive  ape  too ! 
But  I  will  not  believe  that  she  even  held  out  a  hand  to 
you,  for  the  mere  sight  of  you  makes  me  dirty."  Paulus 
felt  his  heart  beating  like  a  hammer  within  his  breast, 
and  there  was  a  singing  and  roaring  in  his  ears.  When 
once  more  Polykarp  threatened  him  with  his  fist  he  in- 
voluntarily took  the  posture  of  an  athlete  in  a  wrestling 
match,  he  stretched  out  his  arms  to  try  to  get  a  good- 
hold  of  his  adversary,  and  said  in  a  hollow,  deep  tone 
of  angry  warning,  "  Stand  back,  or  something  will  hap- 
pen to  you  that  will  not  be  good  for  your  bones." 

The  speaker  was  indeed  Paulus — and  yet — not  Pau- 
lus; it  was  Menander,  the  pride  of  the  Palaestra,  who 
had  never  let  pass  a  word  of  his  comrades  that  did  not 
altogether  please  him.  And  yet  yesterday  in  the  oasis 
he  had  quietly  submitted  to  far  worse  insults  than  Poly- 
karp had  offered  him,  and  had  accepted  them  with  con- 
tented cheerfulness.  Whence  then  to-day  this  wild 
sensitiveness  and  eager  desire  to  fight? 

When,  two  days  since,  he  had  gone  to  his  old  cave 
to  fetch  the  last  of  his  hidden  gold  pieces,  he  had  wished 
to  greet  old  Stephanus,  but  the  Egyptian.attendant  had 
scared  him  off  like  an  evil  spirit  with  angry  curses,  and 
had  thrown  stones  after  him.  In  the  oasis  he  had  at- 
tempted to  enter  the  church  in  spite  of  the  bishop's 
prohibition,  there  to  put  up  a  prayer;  for  he  thought 
that  the  antechamber,  where  the  spring  was  and  in 
which  penitents  were  wont  to  tarry,  would  certainly  not 
be  closed  even  to  him;  but  the  acolytes  had  driven  him 


210  HOMO    SUM. 

away  with  abusive  words,  and  the  door-keeper,  who  a 
short  time  since  had  trusted  him  with  the  key,  spit  in 
his  face,  and  yet  he  had  not  found  it  difficult  to  turn 
his  back  on  his  persecutors  without  anger  or  complaint. 

At  the  counter  of  the  dealer  of  whom  he  had 
bought  the  woollen  coverlet,  the  little  jug,  and  many 
other  things  for  Sirona,  a  priest  had  passed  by,  had 
pointed  to  his  money,  and  had  said,  "  Satan  takes  care 
of  his  own." 

Paulus  had  answered  him  nothing,  had  returned  to 
his  charge  with  an  uplifted  and  grateful  heart,  and  had 
heartily  rejoiced  once  more  in  the  exalted  and  en- 
couraging consciousness  that  he  was  enduring  disgrace 
and  suffering  for  another  in  humble  imitation  of  Christ. 
What  was  it  then  that  made  him  so  acutely  sensitive 
with  regard  to  Polykarp,  and  once  more  snapped  those 
threads,  which  long  years  of  self-denial  had  twined  into 
fetters  for  his  impatient  spirit  ?  Was  it  that  to  the  man, 
who  mortified  his  flesh  in  order  to  free  his  soul  from  its 
bonds  it  seemed  a  lighter  matter  to  be  contemned  as  a 
sinner,  hated  of  God,  than  to  let  his  person  and  his 
manly  dignity  be  treated  with  contempt?  Was  he 
thinking  of  the  fair  listener  in  the  cave,  who  was  a  wit- 
ness to  his  humiliation?  Had  his  wrath  blazed  up 
because  he  saw  in  Polykarp,  not  so  much  an  exasper- 
ated fellow-believer,  as  merely  a  man  who  with  bold 
scorn  had  put  himself  in  the  path  of  another  man  ? 

The  lad  and  the  gray-bearded  athlete  stood  face  to 
face  like  mortal  enemies  ready  for  the  fight,  and  Poly- 
karp did  not  waver,  although  he,  like  most  Christian 
youths,  had  been  forbidden  to  take  part  in  the  wrestling- 
games  in  the  Palaestra,  and  though  he  knew  that  he 
had  to  deal  with  a  strong   and   practised  antagonist. 


HOMO    SUM.  211 

He  himself  was  indeed  no  weakling,  and  his  stormy- 
indignation  added  to  his  desire  to  measure  himself 
against  the  hated  seducer. 

"Come  on — come  on!"  he  cried;  his  eyes  flashing, 
and  leaning  forward  with  his  neck  out-stretched  and 
ready  on  his  part  for  the  struggle.  "  Grip  hold !  you 
were  a  gladiator,  or  something  of  the  kind,  before  you 
put  on  that  filthy  dress  that  you  might  break  into  houses 
at  night,  and  go  unpunished.  Make  this  sacred  spot 
an  arena,  and  if  you  succeed  in  making  an  end  of  me 
I  will  thank  you,  for  what  made  life  worth  having  to 
me,  you  have  already  ruined  whether  or  no.  Only- 
come  on.  Or  perhaps  you  think  it  easier  to  ruin  the 
life  of  a  woman  than  to  measure  your  strength  against 
her  defender?    Clutch  hold,  I  say,  clutch  hold,  or — " 

"Or  you  will  fall  upon  me,"  said  Paulus,  whose 
arms  had  dropped  by  his  side  during  the  youth's  ad- 
dress. He  spoke  in  a  quite  altered  tone  of  indifference. 
"Throw  yourself  upon  me,  and  do  with  me  what  you 
will;  I  will  not  prevent  you.  Here  I  shall  stand,  and 
I  will  not  fight,  for  you  have  so  far  hit  the  truth — this 
holy  place  is  not  an  arena.  But  the  Gaulish  lady  be- 
longs neither  to  you  nor  to  me,  and  who  gives  you  a 
claim—?" 

"Who  gives  me  a  right  over  her?"  interrupted 
Polykarp,  stepping  close  up  to  his  questioner  with 
sparkling  eyes.  "He  who  permits  the  worshipper  to 
speak  of  his  God.  Sirona  is  mine,  as  the  sun  and  moon 
and  stars  are  mine,  because  they  shed  a  beautiful  light 
on  my  murky  path.  My  life  is  mine — and  she  was  the 
life  of  my  life,  and  therefore  I  say  boldly,  and  would 
say,  if  there  were  twenty  such  as  Phcebicius  here,  she 
belongs  to  me.     And  because  I  regarded  her  as  my 


212  HOMO    SUM. 

own,  and  so  regard  her  still,  I  hate  you  and  fling  my 
scorn  in  your  teeth — you  are  like  a  hungry  sheep  that 
has  got  into  the  gardener's  flower-bed,  and  stolen  from 
the  stem  the  wonderful,  lovely  flower  that  he  has  nur- 
tured with  care,  and  that  only  blooms  once  in  a  hun- 
dred years — like  a  cat  that  has  sneaked  into  some 
marble  hall,  and  that  to  satisfy  its  greed  has  strangled 
some  rare  and  splendid  bird  that  a  traveller  has  brought 
from  a  distant  land.  But  you!  you  hypocritical  robber, 
who  disregard  your  own  body  with  beastly  pride,  and 
sacrifice  it  to  low  brutality — what  should  you  know  of 
the  magic  charm  of  beauty — that  daughter  of  heaven, 
that  can  touch  even  thoughtless  children,  and  before 
which  the  gods  themselves  do  homage!  I  have  a  right 
to  Sirona;  for  hide  her  where  you  will — or  even  if  the 
centurion  were  to  find  her,  and  to  fetter  her  to  himself 
with  chains  and  rivets  of  brass — still  that  which  makes 
her  the  noblest  work  of  the  Most  High — the  image  of 
her  beauty — lives  in  bo  one,  in  no  one  as  it  lives  in  me. 
This  hand  has  never  even  touched  your  victim — and  yet 
God  has  given  Sirona  to  no  man  as  he  has  given  her 
wholly  to  me,  for  to  no  man  can  she  be  what  she  is  to 
me,  and  no  man  can  love  her  as  I  do !  She  has  the 
nature  of  an  angel,  and  the  heart  of  a  child;  she  is 
without  spot,  and  as  pure  as  the  diamond,  or  the  swan's 
breast,  or  the  morning-dew  in  the  bosom  of  a  rose. 
And  though  she  had  let  you  into  her  house  a  thousand 
times,  and  though  my  father  even,  and  my  own  mother, 
and  every  one,  every  one  pointed  at  her  and  condemn- 
ed her,  I  would  never  cease  to  believe  in  her  purity.  It 
is  you  who  have  brought  her  to  shame;  it  is  you — " 

"  I  kept  silence  while  all  condemned  her,"  said  Pau- 
lus  with  warmth,  "for  I  believed  that  she  was  guilty, 


HOMO    SUM.  213 

just  as  you  believe  that  I  am,  just  as  every  one  that  is 
bound  by  no  ties  of  love  is  more  ready  to  believe  evil 
than  good.  Now  I  know,  aye,  know  for  certain,  that 
we  did  the  poor  woman  an  injustice.  If  the  splendor 
of  the  lovely  dream,  that  you  call  Sirona,  has  been 
clouded  by  my  fault — " 

"Clouded?  And  by  you?"  laughed  Polykarp. 
"Can  the  toad  that  plunges  into  the  sea,  cloud  its  shin- 
ing blue,  can  the  black  bat  that  flits  across  the  night, 
cloud  the  pure  light  of  the  full-moon  ?  " 

An  emotion  of  rage  again  shot  through  the  anchor- 
ite's heart,  but  he  was  by  this  time  on  his  guard  against 
himself,  and  he  only  said  bitterly,  and  with  hardly-won 
composure : 

"  And  how  was  it  then  with  the  flower,  and  with  the 
bird,  that  were  destroyed  by  beasts  without  understand- 
ing? I  fancy  you  meant  no  absent  third  person  by  that 
beast,  and  yet  now  you  declare  that  it  is  not  within  my 
power  even  to  throw  a  shadow  over  your  day-star! 
You  see  you  contradict  yourself  in  your  anger,  and  the 
son  of  a  wise  man,  who  himself  has  not  long  since  left 
the  school  of  rhetoric,  should  try  to  avoid  that.  You 
might  regard  me  with  less  hostility,  for  I  will  not  offend 
you;  nay,  I  will  repay  your  evil  words  with  good — per- 
haps the  very  best  indeed  that  you  ever  heard  in  your 
life.  Sirona  is  a  worthy  and  innocent  woman,  and  at 
the  time  when  Phcebicius  came  out  to  seek  her,  I  had 
never  even  set  eyes  upon  her  nor  had  my  ears  ever 
heard  a  word  pass  her  lips." 

At  these  words  Polykarp's  threatening  manner 
changed,  and  feeling  at  once  incapable  of  understand- 
ing the  matter,  and  anxious  to  believe,  he  eagerly  ex- 
claimed : 


214  HOMO    SUM. 

"  But  yet  the  sheepskin  was  yours,  and  you  let  your- 
self be  thrashed  by  Phcebicius  without  defending  your- ' 
self." 

"So  filthy  an  ape,"  said  Paulus,  imitating  Polykarp's 
voice,  "needs  many  blows,  and  that  day  I  could  not 
venture  to  defend  myself  because — because —  But 
that  is  no  concern  of  yours.  You  must  subdue  your 
curiosity  for  a  few  days  longer,  and  then  it  may  easily 
happen  that  the  man  whose  very  aspect  makes  you  feel 
dirty — the  bat,  the  toad — " 

"Let  that  pass  now,"  cried  Polykarp.  "Perhaps  the 
excitement  which  the  sight  of  you  stirred  up  in  my 
bruised  and  wounded  heart,  led  me  to  use  unseemly 
language.  Now,  indeed,  I  see  that  your  matted  hair 
sits  round  a  well  featured  countenance.  Forgive  my 
violent  and  unjust  attack.  I  was  beside  myself,  and  I 
opened  my  whole  soul  to  you,  and  now  that  you  know 
how  it  is  with  me,  once  more  I  ask  you,  where  is  Si- 
rona?" 

Polykarp  looked  Paulus  in  the  face  with  anxious 
and  urgent  entreaty,  pointing  to  the  dog  as  much  as  to 
say,  "You  must  know,  for  here  is  the  evidence." 

The  Alexandrian  hesitated  to  answer;  he  glanced 
by  chance  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and  seeing  the 
gleam  of  Sirona's  white  robe  behind  the  palm-branches, 
he  said  to  himself  that  if  Polykarp  lingered  much 
longer,  he  could  not  fail  to  discover  her — a  consumma- 
tion to  be  avoided. 

There  were  many  reasons  which  might  have  made 
him  resolve  to  stand  in  the  way  of  a  meeting  between  the 
lady  and  the  young  man,  but  not  one  of  them  occurred 
to  him,  and  though  he  did  not  even  dream  that  a  feel- 
ing akin  to  jealousy  had  begun  to  influence  him,  still  he 


HOMO    SUM.  215 

was  conscious  that  it  was  his  lively  repugnance  to  see- 
ing the  two  sink  into  each  other's  arms  before  his  very 
eyes,  that  prompted  him  to  turn  shortly  round,  to  take 
up  the  body  of  the  little  dog,  and  to  say  to  the  en- 
quirer: 

"It  is  true,  I  do  know  where  she  is  hiding,  and 
when  the  time  comes  you  shall  know  it  too.  Now  I 
must  bury  the  animal,  and  if  you  will  you  can  help  me." 

Without  waiting  for  any  objection  on  Polykarp's 
part,  he  hurried  from  stone  to  stone  up  to  the  plateau 
on  the  precipitous  edge  of  which  he  had  first  seen 
Sirona.  The  younger  man  followed  him  breathlessly, 
and  only  joined  him  when  he  had  already  begun  to  dig 
out  the  earth  with  his  hands  at  the  foot  of  a  cliff. 
Polykarp  was  now  standing  close  to  the  anchorite,  and 
repeated  his  question  with  vehement  eagerness,  but 
Paulus  did  not  look  up  from  his  work,  and  only  said, 
digging  faster  and  faster: 

"  Come  to  this  place  again  to-morrow,  and  then  it 
may  perhaps  be  possible  that  I  should  tell  you." 

"You  think  to  put  me  off  with  that,"  cried  the  lad. 
"  Then  you  are  mistaken  in  me,  and  if  you  cheat  me 
with  your  honest-sounding  words,  I  will — " 

But  he  did  not  end  his  threat,  for  a  clear  longing  cry 
distinctly  broke  the  silence  of  the  deserted  mountain: 

"Polykarp — Polykarp."  It  sounded  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  the  words  had  a  magic  effect  on  him  for 
whose  ear  they  were  intended. 

With  his  head  erect  and  trembling  in  every  limb,  the 
young  man  listened  eagerly.  Then  he  cried  out,  "  It  is 
her  voice!  I  am  coming,  Sirona,  I  am  coming."  And 
without  paying  any  heed  to  the  anchorite,  he  was  on 
the   point    of  hurrying  off  to  meet   her.     But    Paulus 


2l6  HOMO    SUM. 

placed  himself  close   in    front  of  him,  and  said  sternly: 

"You  stay  here." 

"  Out  of  my  way,"  shouted  Polykarp  beside  himself. 

"  She  is  calling  to  me  out  of  the  hole  where  you  are 
keeping  her — you  slanderer — you  cowardly  liar!  Out 
of  the  way  I  say !  You  will  not  ?  Then  defend  yourself, 
you  hideous  toad,  or  I  will  tread  you  down,  if  my  foot 
does  not  fear  to  be  soiled  with  your  poison." 

Up  to  this  moment  Paulus  had  stood  before  the 
young  man  with  out-spread  arms,  motionless,  but  im- 
movable as  an  oak-tree;  now  Polykarp  first  hit  him. 
This  blow  shattered  the  anchorite's  patience,  and,  no 
longer  master  of  himself,  he  exclaimed,  "  You  shall  an- 
swer to  me  for  this!"  and  before  a  third  and  fourth  call 
had  come  from  Sirona's  lips,  he  had  grasped  the  artist's 
slender  body,  and  with  a  mighty  swing  he  flung  him 
backwards  over  his  own  broad  and  powerful  shoulders 
on  to  the  stony  ground. 

After  this  mad  act  he  stood  over  his  victim  with 
out-stretched  legs,  folded  arms,  and  rolling  eyes,  as  if 
rooted  to  the  earth.  He  waited  till  Polykarp  had  picked 
himself  up,  and,  without  looking  round,  but  pressing  his 
hands  to  the  back  of  his  head,  had  tottered  away  like  a 
drunken  man. 

Paulus  looked  after  him  till  he  dissappeared  over  the 
cliff  at  the  edge  of  the  level  ground;  but  he  did  not  see 
how  Polykarp  fell  senseless  to  the  ground  with  a  stifled 
cry,  not  far  from  the  very  spring  whence  his  enemy 
had  fetched  the  water  to  refresh  Sirona's  parched  lips. 


HOMO    SUM.  217 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


"She  will  attract  the  attention  of  Daraianus  or  Sa- 
lathiel  or  one  of  the  others  up  there,"  thought  Paulus  as 
he  heard  Sirona's  call  once  more,  and,  following  her 
voice,  he  went  hastily  and  excitedly  down  the  moun- 
tain-side. 

"We  shall  have  peace  for  to-day  at  any  rate  from 
that  audacious  fellow,"  muttered  he  to  himself,  "and 
perhaps  to-morrow  too,  for  his  blue  bruises  will  be  a 
greeting  from  me.  But  how  difficult  it  is  to  forget 
what  we  have  once  known!  The  grip,  with  which  I 
flung  him,  I  learned — how  long  ago  ? — from  the  chief- 
gymnast  at  Delphi.  My  marrow  is  not  yet  quite  dried 
up,  and  that  1  will  prove  to  the  boy  with  these  fists,  if 
he  comes  back  with  three  or  four  of  the  same  mettle." 

But  Paulus  had  not  long  to  indulge  in  such  wild 
thoughts,  for  on  the  way  to  the  cave  he  met  Sirona. 

"  Where  is  Polykarp  ?  "  she  called  out  from  afar. 

"  I  have  sent  him  home,"  he  answered. 

"And  he  obeyed  you?"  she  asked  again. 

"  I  gave  him  striking  reasons  for  doing  so,"  he  replied 
quickly. 

"But  he  will  return?" 

"He  has  learned  enough  up  here  for  tb-day.  We 
have  now  to  think  of  your  journey  to  Alexandria." 

"  But  it  seems  to  me,"  replied  Sirona,  blushing,  "  that 
I  am  safely  hidden  in  your  cave,  and  just  now  you  your- 
self said — " 

"I  warned  you  against    the  dangers  of  the  expe- 


2l8  HOMO    SUM. 

dition,"  interrupted  Paulus.  "  But  since  that  it  has  oc- 
curred to  me  that  I  know  of  a  shelter,  and  of  a  safe  pro- 
tector for  you.  There,  we  are  at  home  again.  Now  go 
into  the  cave,  for  very  probably  some  one  may  have 
heard  you  calling,  and  if  other  anchorites  were  to  dis- 
cover you  here,  they  would  compel  me  to  take  you  back 
to  your  husband." 

"I  will  go  directly,"  sighed  Sirona,  "but  first  explain 
to  me — for  I  heard  all  that  you  said  to  each  other — " 
and  she  colored,  "how  it  happened  that  Phcebicius 
took  Hermas'  sheepskin  for  yours,  and  why  you  let 
him  beat  you  without  giving  any  explanation." 

"  Because  my  back  is  even  broader  than  that  great 
fellow's,"  replied  the  Alexandrian  quickly.  "  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it  in  some  quiet  hour,  perhaps  on  our  jour- 
ney to  Klysma.  Now  go  into  the  cave,  or  you  may 
spoil  everything.  I  know  too  what  you  lack  most  since 
you  heard  the  fair  words  of  the  senator's  son." 

"Well — what?"  asked  Sirona. 

"A  mirror!"  laughed  Paulus. 

"How  much  you  are  mistaken!"  said  Sirona;  and 
she  thought  to  herself — "The  woman  that  Polykarp 
looks  at  as  he  does  at  me,  does  not  need  a  mirror." 

An  old  Jewish  merchant  lived  in  the  fishing-town  on 
the  western  declivity  of  the  mountain;  he  shipped  the 
charcoal  for  Egypt,whichwas  made  in  the  valleys  of  the 
peninsula  by  burning  the  sajal  acacia,  and  he  had  for- 
merly supplied  fuel  for  the  drying-room  of  the  papyrus- 
factory  of  Paulus'  father.  He  now  had  a  business  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  and  Paulus  himself  had  had 
dealings  with  him.  He  was  prudent  and  wealthy,  and 
whenever  he  met  the  anchorite,  he  blamed  him  for  his 
flight  from  the  world,  and  implored  him  to  put  his  hos- 


HOMO    SUM.  219 

pitality  to  the  test,  and  to  command  his  resources  and 
means  as  if  they  were  his  own. 

This  man  was  now  to  find  a  boat,  and  to  provide 
the  means  of  flight  for  Sirona.  The  longer  Paulus 
thought  it  over,  the  more  indispensable  it  seemed  to  him 
that  he  should  himself  accompany  the  Gaulish  lady  to 
Alexandria,  and  in  his  own  person  find  her  a  safe  shelter. 
He  knew  that  he  was  free  to  dispose  of  his  brother's 
enormous  fortune — half  of  which  in  fact  was  his — as 
though  it  were  all  his  own,  and  he  began  to  rejoice  in 
his  possessions  for  the  first  time  for  many  years.  Soon 
he  was  occupied  in  thinking  of  the  furnishing  of  the 
house,  which  he  intended  to  assign  to  the  fair  Sirona. 
At  first  he  thought  of  a  simple  citizen's  dwelling,  but 
by  degrees  he  began  to  picture  the  house  intended  for 
her  as  fitted  with  shining  gold,  white  and  colored  marble, 
many-colored  Syrian  carpets,  nay  even  with  vain  works 
of  the  heathen,  with  statues,  and  a  luxurious  bath. 
In  increasing  unrest  he  wandered  from  rock  to  rock, 
and  many  times  as  he  went  up  and  down  he  paused  in 
front  of  the  cave  where  Sirona  was.  Once  he  saw  her 
light  robe,  and  its  conspicuous  gleam  led  him  to  the  re- 
flection, that  it  would  be  imprudent  to  conduct  her  to 
the  humble  fishing-village  in  that  dress.  If  he  meant 
to  conceal  her  traces  from  the  search  of  Phcebicius  and 
Polykarp,  he  must  first  provide  her  with  a  simple  dress, 
and  a  veil  that  should  hide  her  shining  hair  and  fair 
face,  which  even  in  the  capital  could  find  no  match. 

The  Amalekite,  from  whom  he  had  twice  bought 
some  goat's-milk  for  her,  lived  in  a  hut  which  Paulus 
could  easily  reach.  He  still  possessed  a  few  drachmas, 
and  with  these  he  could  purchase  what  he  needed  from 
the  wife  and  daughter  of  the  goatherd.     Although  the 


220  HOMO    SUM. 

sky  was  now  covered  with  mist  and  a  hot  sweltering 
south-wind  had  risen,  he  prepared  to  start  at  once.  The 
sun  was  no  longer  visible  though  its  scorching  heat 
could  be  felt,  but  Paulus  paid  no  heed  to  this  sign  of  an 
approaching  storm. 

Hastily,  and  with  so  little  attention  that  he  confused 
one  object  with  another  in  the  little  store-cellar,  he  laid 
some  bread,  a  knife,  and  some  dates  in  front  of  the 
entrance  to  the  cave,  called  out  to  his  guest  that  he 
should  soon  return,  and  hurried  at  a  rapid  pace  up  the 
mountain. 

Sirona  answered  him  with  a  gentle  word  of  farewell, 
and  did  not  even  look  round  after  him,  for  she  was  glad 
to  be  alone,  and  so  soon  as  the  sound  of  his  step  had 
died  away  she  gave  herself  up  once  more  to  the  over- 
whelming torrent  of  new  and  deep  feelings  which  had 
flooded  her  soul  ever  since  she  had  heard  Polykarp's 
ardent  hymn  of  love. 

Paulus,  in  the  last  few  hours,  was  Menander  again, 
but  the  lonely  woman  in  the  cavern — the  cause  of  this 
transformation — the  wife  of  Phcebicius,  had  undergone 
an  even  greater  change  than  he.  She  was  still  Sirona, 
and  yet  not  Sirona. 

When  the  anchorite  had  commanded  her  to  retire 
into  the  cave  she  had  obeyed  him  willingly,  nay,  she 
would  have  withdrawn  even  without  his  desire,  and 
have  sought  for  soltitude;  for  she  felt  that  something 
mighty,  hitherto  unknown  to  her,  and  incomprehensible 
even  to  herself,  was  passing  in  her  soul,  and  that  a 
nameless  but  potent  something  had  grown  up  in  her 
heart,  had  struggled  free,  and  had  found  life  and  motion; 
a  something  that  was  strange,  and  yet  precious  to  her, 
frightening,  and  yet  sweet,  a  pain,  and  yet  unspeakably 


HOMO    SUM.  221 

delightful.  An  emotion  such  as  she  had  never  before 
known  had  mastered  her,  and  she  felt,  since  hearing 
Polykarp's  speech,  as  if  a  new  and  purer  blood  was 
flowing  rapidly  through  her  veins.  Every  nerve  quiv- 
ered like  the  leaves  of  the  poplars  in  her  former  home 
when  the  wind  blows  down  to  meet  the  Rhone,  and  she 
found  it  difficult  to  follow  what  Paulus  said,  and  still 
more  so  to  find  the  right  answer  to  his  questions. 

As  soon  as  she  was  alone  she  sat  down  on  her  bed, 
rested  her  elbows  on  her  knees,  and  her  head  in  her 
hand,  and  the  growing  and  surging  flood  of  her  passion 
broke  out  in  an  abundant  stream  of  warm  tears. 

She  had  never  wept  so  before;  no  anguish,  no  bit- 
terness was  infused  into  the  sweet  refreshing  dew  of 
those  tears.  Fair  flowers  of  never  dreamed  of  splen- 
dor and  beauty  blossomed  in  the  heart  of  the  weeping 
woman,  and  when  at  length  her  tears  ceased,  there  was 
a  great  silence,  but  also  a  great  glory  within  her  and 
around  her.  She  was  like  a  man  who  has  grown  up  in 
an  under-ground-room,  where  no  light  of  day  can  ever 
shine,  and  who  at  last  is  allowed  to  look  at  the  blue 
heavens,  at  the  splendor  of  the  sun,  at  the  myriad 
flowers  and  leaves  in  the  green  woods,  and  on  the 
meadows. 

She  was  wretched,  and  yet  a  happy  woman. 

"  That  is  love !  "  were  the  words  that  her  heart  sang 
in  triumph,  and  as  her  memory  looked  back  on  the 
admirers  who  had  approached  her  in  Arelas  when  she 
was  still  little  more  than  a  child,  and  afterwards  in 
Rome,  with  tender  words  and  looks,  they  all  appeared 
like  phantom  forms  carrying  feeble  tapers,  whose  light 
paled  pitifully,  for  Polykarp  had  now  come  on  the 
scene,  bearing  the  very  sun  itself  in  his  hands. 


222  HOMO    SUM. 

"  They — and  he,"  she  murmured  to  herself,  and  she 
beheld  as  it  were  a  balance,  and  on  one  of  the  scales 
lay  the  homage  which  in  her  vain  fancy  she  had  so 
coveted.  It  was  of  no  more  weight  than  chaff,  and  its 
whole  mass  was  like  a  heap  of  straw,  which  flew  up  as 
soon  as  Polykarp  laid  his  love — a  hundredweight  of 
pure  gold,  in  the  other  scale. 

"And  if  all  the  nations  and  kings  of  the  earth 
brought  their  treasures  together,"  thought  she,  "and 
laid  them  at  my  feet,  they  could  not  make  me  as  rich 
as  he  has  made  me,  and  if  all  the  stars  were  fused  into 
one,  the  vast  globe  of  light  which  they  would  form 
could  not  shine  so  brightly  as  the  joy  that  fills  my  soul. 
Come  now  what  may,  I  will  never  complain  after  that 
hour  of  delight." 

Then  she  thought  over  each  of  her  former  meetings 
with  Polykarp,  and  remembered  that  he  had  never 
spoken  to  her  of  love.  What  must  it  not  have  cost  him 
to  control  himself  thus;  and  a  great  triumphant  joy 
filled  her  heart  at  the  thought  that  she  was  pure,  and 
not  unworthy  of  him,  and  an  unutterable  sense  of  grati- 
tude rose  up  in  her  soul.  The  love  she  bore  this  man 
seemed  to  take  wings,  and  it  spread  itself  over  the 
common  life  and  aspect  of  the  world,  and  rose  to  a 
spirit  of  devotion.  With  a  deep  sigh  she  raised  her 
eyes  and  hands  to  heaven,  and  in  her  longing  to  prove 
her  love  to  every  living  being,  nay  to  every  created 
thing,  her  spirit  sought  the  mighty  and  beneficent 
Power  to  whom  she  owed  such  exalted  happiness. 

In  her  youth  her  father  had  kept  her  very  strictly, 
but  still  he  had  allowed  her  to  go  through  the  streets  of 
the  town  with  her  young  companions,  wreathed  with 
flowers,  and  all  dressed  in  their  best,  in  the  procession 


HOMO    SUM.  223 

of  maidens  at  the  feast  of  Venus  of  Arelas,  to  whom 
all  the  women  of  her  native  town  were  wont  to  turn 
with  prayers  and  sacrifices  when  their  hearts  were 
touched  by  love. 

Now  she  tried  to  pray  to  Venus,  but  again  and 
again  the  wanton  jests  of  the  men  who  were  used 
to  accompany  the  maidens  came  into  her  mind,  and 
memories  of  how  she  herself  had  eagerly  listened  for 
the  only  too  frequent  cries  of  admiration,  and  had  en- 
ticed the  silent  with  a  glance,  or  thanked  the  more 
clamorous  with  a  smile.  To-day  certainly  she  had  no 
mind  for  such  sport,  and  she  recollected  the  stern  words 
which  had  fallen  from  Dorothea's  lips  on  the  worship  of 
Venus,  when  she  had  once  told  her  how  well  the  natives 
of  Arelas  knew  how  to  keep  their  feasts. 

And  Polykarp,  whose  heart  was  nevertheless  so  full 
of  love,  he  no  doubt  thought  like  his  mother,  and  she 
pictured  him  as  she  had  frequently  seen  him  following 
his  parents  by  the  side  of  his  sister  Marthana — often 
hand  in  hand  with  her — as  they  went  to  church.  The 
senator's  son  had  always  had  a  kindly  glance  for  her, 
excepting  when  he  was  one  of  this  procession  to  the 
temple  of  the  God  of  whom  they  said  that  He  was  love 
itself,  and  whose  votaries  indeed  were  not  poor  in  love; 
for  in  Petrus'  house,  if  anywhere,  all  hearts  were  united 
by  a  tender  affection.  It  then  occurred  to  her  that 
Paulus  had  just  now  advised  her  to  turn  to  the  crucified 
God  of  the  Christians,  who  was  full  of  an  equal  and 
divine  love  to  all  men.  To  him  Polykarp  also  prayed — 
was  praying  perhaps  this  very  hour;  and  if  she  now  did 
the  same  her  prayers  would  ascend  together  with  his, 
and  so  she  might  be  in  some  sort  one  with  that  beloved 
friend,  from  whom  everything  else  conspired  to  part  her. 


224  HOMO    SUM. 

She  knelt  down  and  folded  her  hands,  as  she  had 
so  often  seen  Christians  do,  and  she  reflected  on  the 
torments  that  the  poor  Man,  who  hung  with  pierced 
hands  on  the  cross,  had  so  meekly  endured,  though  He 
suffered  innocently;  she  felt  the  deepest  pity  for  Him, 
and  softly  said  to  herself,  as  she  raised  her  eyes  to  the 
low  roof  of  her  cave-dwelling : 

"  Thou  poor  good  Son  of  God,  Thou  knowest  what 
it  is  when  all  men  condemn  us  unjustly,  and  surely, 
Thou  canst  understand  when  I  say  to  Thee  how  sore 
my  poor  heart  is !  And  they  say  too,  that  of  all  hearts 
Thine  is  the  most  loving,  and  so  thou  wilt  know  how 
it  is  that,  in  spite  of  all  my  misery,  it  still  seems  to  me 
that  I  am  a  happy  woman.  The  very  breath  of  a  God 
must  be  rapture,  and  that  Thou  too  must  have  learned 
when  they  tortured  and  mocked  Thee,  for  Thou  hast 
suffered  out  of  love.  They  say,  that  Thou  wast  wholly 
pure  and  perfectly  sinless.  Now  I — I  have  committed 
many  follies,  but  not  a  sin — a  real  sin — no,  indeed,  I 
have  not;  and  Thou  must  know  it,  for  Thou  art  a  God, 
and  knowest  the  past,  and  canst  read  hearts.  And,  in- 
deed, I  also  would  fain  remain  innocent,  and  yet  how 
can  that  be  when  I  cannot  help  being  devoted  to  Poly- 
karp,  and  yet  I  am  another  man's  wife.  But  am  I  in- 
deed the  true  and  lawful  wife  of  that  horrible  wretch 
who  sold  me  to  another?  He  is  as  far  from  my  heart 
— as  far  as  if  I  had  never  seen  him  with  these  eyes. 
And  yet — believe  me — I  wish  him  no  ill,  and  I  will  be 
quite  content,  if  only  I  need  never  go  back  to  him. 

"  When  I  was  a  child,  I  was  afraid  of  frogs;  my 
brothers  and  sisters  knew  it,  and  once  my  brother  Licin- 
ius  laid  a  large  one,  that  he  had  caught,  on  my  bare 
neck.      I  started,   and  shuddered,   and   screamed   out 


HOMO    SUM.  225 

loud,  for  it  was  so  hideously  cold  and  damp — I  cannot 
express  it.  And  that  is  exactly  how  I  have  always  felt 
since  those  days  in  Rome  whenever  Phoebicius  touched 
me,  and  yet  I  dared  not  scream  when  he  did. 

"  But  Polykarp !  oh !  would  that  he  were  here,  and 
might  only  grasp  my  hand.  He  said  I  was  his  own, 
and  yet  I  have  never  encouraged  him.  But  now !  if  a 
danger  threatened  him  or  a  sorrow,  and  if  by  any  means 
I  could  save  him  from  it,  indeed — indeed — though  I 
never  could  bear  pain  well,  and  am  afraid  of  death,  I 
would  let  them  nail  me  to  a  cross  for  him,  as  Thou  wast 
crucified  for  us  all. 

"  But  then  he  must  know  that  I  had  died  for  him, 
and  if  he  looked  into  my  dying  eyes  with  his  strange, 
deep  gaze,  I  would  tell  him  that  it  is  to  him  that  I  owe 
a  love  so  great  that  it  is  a  thing  altogether  different  and 
higher  than  any  love  I  have  ever  before  seen.  And  a 
feeling  that  is  so  far  above  all  measure  of  what  ordinary 
mortals  experience,  it  seems  to  me,  must  be  divine. 
Can  such  love  be  wrong?  I  know  not;  but  Thou 
knowest,  and  Thou,  whom  they  name  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, lead  Thou  us — each  apart  from  the  other,  if  it  be 
best  so  for  him — but  yet,  if  it  be  possible,  unite  us  once 
more,  if  it  be  only  for  one  single  hour.  If  only  he 
could  know  that  I  am  not  wicked,  and  that  poor  Sirona 
would  willingly  belong  to  him,  and  to  no  other,  then  I 
would  be  ready  to  die.  O  Thou  good,  kind  Shepherd, 
take  me  too  into  Thy  flock,  and  guide  me." 

Thus  prayed  Sirona,  and  before  her  fancy  there 
floated  the  image  of  a  lovely  and  loving  youthful  form; 
she  had  seen  the  original  in  the  model  for  Polykarp's 
noble  work,  and  she  had  not  forgotten  the  exquisite 
details  of  the  face.     It  seemed  to  her  as  well  known 


2  26  HOMO    SUM. 

and  familiar  as  if  she  had  known — what  in  fact  she 
could  not  even  guess — that  she  herself  had  had  some 
share  in  the  success  of  the  work. 

The  love  which  unites  two  hearts  is  like  the  ocean 
of  Homer  which  encircles  both  halves  of  the  earth.  It 
flows  and  rolls  on.  Where  shall  we  seek  its  source — 
here  or  there — who  can  tell  ? 

It  was  Dame  Dorothea  who  in  her  motherly  pride 
had  led  the  Gaulish  lady  into  her  son's  workshop. 
Sirona  thought  of  her  and  her  husband  and  her 
house,  where  over  the  door  a  motto  was  carved  in 
the  stone  which  she  had  seen  every  morning  from 
her  sleeping-room.  She  could  not  read  Greek,  but 
Polykarp's  sister,  Marthana,  had  more  than  once  told 
her  what  it  meant.  "  Commit  thy  way  to  the  Lord, 
and  put  thy  trust  in  Him,"  ran  the  inscription,  and 
she  repeated  it  to  herself  again  and  again,  and  then 
drew  fancy-pictures  of  the  future  in  smiling  day-dreams, 
which  by  degrees  assumed  sharper  outlines  and  brighter 
colors. 

She  saw  herself  united  to  Polykarp,  and  as  the 
daughter  of  Petrus  and  Dorothea,  at  home  in  the  sena- 
tor's house;  she  had  a  right  now  to  the  children  who 
loved  her,  and  who  were  so  dear  to  her;  she  helped  the 
deaconess  in  all  her  labors,  and  won  praise,  and  looks 
of  approval.  She  had  learned  to  use  her  hands  in  her 
father's  house  and  now  she  could  show  what  she  could 
do;  Polykarp  even  gazed  at  her  with  surprise  and  ad- 
miration, and  said  that  she  was  as  clever  as  she  was 
beautiful,  and  promised  to  become  a  second  Dorothea. 
She  went  with  him  into  his  workshop,  and  there  ar- 
ranged all  the  things  that  lay  about  in  confusion,  and 
dusted  it,  while  he  followed  her  every  movement  with 


HOMO    SUM.  227 

his  gaze,  and  at  last  stood  before  her,  his  arms  wide — 
wide  open  to  clasp  her. 

She  started,  and  pressed  her  hands  over  her  eyes, 
and  flung  herself  loving  and  beloved  on  his  breast,  and 
would  have  thrown  her  arms  round  his  neck,  while  hex 
hot  tears  flowed — but  the  sweet  vision  was  suddenly 
shattered,  for  a  swift  flash  of  light  pierced  the  gloom  of 
the  cavern,  and  immediately  after  she  heard  the  heavy 
roll  of  the  thunder-clap,  dulled  by  the  rocky  walls  of 
her  dwelling. 

Completely  recalled  to  actuality  she  listened  for  a 
moment,  and  then  stepped  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave. 
It  was  already  dusk,  and  heavy  rain-drops  were  falling 
from  the  dark  clouds  which  seemed  to  shroud  the  moun- 
tain peaks  in  a  vast  veil  of  black  crape.  Paulus  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen,  but  there  stood  the  food  he  had 
prepared  for  her.  She  had  eaten  nothing  since  her 
breakfast,  and  she  now  tried  to  drink  the  milk,  but  it 
had  curdled  and  was  not  fit  to  use;  a  small  bit  of 
bread  and  a  few  dates  quite  satisfied  her. 

As  the  lightning  and  thunder  began  to  follow  each 
other  more  and  more  quickly,  and  the  darkness  fast 
grew  deeper,  a  great  fear  fell  upon  her;  she  pushed  the 
food  on  one  side,  and  looked  up  to  the  mountain  where 
the  peaks  were  now  wholly  veiled  in  night,  now  seemed 
afloat  in  a  sea  of  flame,  and  more  distinctly  visible  than 
by  daylight.  Again  and  again  a  forked  flash  like  a 
saw-blade  of  fire  cut  through  the  black  curtain  of  cloud 
with  terrific  swiftness,  again  and  again  the  thunder 
sounded  like  a  blast  of  trumpets  through  the  silent 
wilderness,  and  multiplied  itself,  clattering,  growling, 
roaring,  and  echoing  from  rock  to  rock.  Light  and 
sound  at  last  seemed  to  be  hurled  from  Heaven  to- 


228  HOMO    SUM. 

gether,  and  the  very  rock  in  which  her  cave  was  formed 
quaked. 

Crushed  and  trembling  she  drew  back  into  the  in- 
most depth  of  her  rocky  chamber,  starting  at  each  flash 
that  illumined  the  darkness. 

At  length  they  occurred  at  longer  intervals,  the 
thunder  lost  its  appalling  fury,  and  as  the  wind  drove 
the  storm  farther  and  farther  to  the  southwards,  at  last 
it  wholly  died  away. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

It  was  quite  dark  in  Sirona's  cavern,  fearfully  dark, 
and  the  blacker  grew  the  night  which  shrouded  her, 
the  more  her  terror  increased.  From  time  to  time  she 
shut  her  eyes  as  tightly  as  she  could,  for  she  fancied 
she  could  see  a  crimson  glare,  and  she  longed  for  light 
in  that  hour  as  a  drowning  man  longs  for  the  shore. 
Dark  forebodings  of  every  kind  oppressed  her  soul. 

What  if  Paulus  had  abandoned  her,  and  had  left 
her  to  her  fate?  Or  if  Polykarp  should  have  been 
searching  for  her  on  the  mountain  in  this  storm,  and  in 
the  darkness  should  have  fallen  into  some  abyss,  or 
have  been  struck  by  the  lightning  ?  Suppose  the  mass 
of  rock  that  overhung  the  entrance  to  the  cave  should 
have  been  loosened  in  the  storm,  and  should  fall,  and 
bar  her  exit  to  the  open  air?  Then  she  would  be 
buried  alive,  and  she  must  perish  alone,  without  seeing 
him  whom  she  loved  once  more,  or  telling  him  that  she 
had  not  been  unworthy  of  his  trust  in  her. 

Cruelly  tormented  by  such  thoughts  as  these,  she 


HOMO    SUM.  229 

dragged  herself  up  and  felt  her  way  out  into  the  air 
and  wind,  for  she  could  no  longer  hold  out  in  the 
gloomy  solitude  and  fearful  darkness.  She  had  hardly 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  when  she  heard  steps 
approaching  her  lurking  place,  and  again  she  shrank 
back.  Who  was  it  that  could  venture  in  this  pitch-dark 
night  to  climb  from  rock  to  rock  ?  Was  it  Paulus  re- 
turning ?     Was  it  he — was  it  Polykarp  seeking  her  ? 

She  felt  intoxicated;  she  pressed  her  hands  to  her 
heart,  and  longed  to  cry  out,  but  she  dared  not,  and 
her  tongue  refused  its  office.  She  listened  with  the 
tension  of  terror  to  the  sound  of  the  steps  which  came 
straight  towards  her  nearer  and  nearer,  then  the  wan- 
derer perceived  the  faint  gleam  of  her  white  dress,  and 
called  out  to  her.     It  was  Paulus. 

She  drew  a  deep  breath  of  relief  when  she  recog- 
nized his  voice,  and  answered  his  call. 

"In  such  weather  as  this,"  said  the  anchorite,  "it  is 
better  to  be  within  than  without,  it  seems  to  me,  for  it 
is  not  particularly  pleasant  out  here,  so  far  as  I  have 
found." 

"  But  it  has  been  frightful  here  inside  the  cave  too," 
Sirona  answered,  "  I  have  been  so  dreadfully  frightened, 
I  was  so  lonely  in  the  horrible  darkness.  If  only  I  had 
had  my  little  dog  with  me,  it  would  at  least  have  been 
a  living  being." 

"I  have  made  haste  as  well  as  I  could,"  interrupted 
Paulus.  "The  paths  are  not  so  smooth  here  as  the 
Kanopic  road  in  Alexandria,  and  as  I  have  not  three 
necks  like  Cerberus,  who  lies  at  the  feet  of  Serapis,  it 
would  have  been  wiser  of  me  to  return  to  you  a  little 
more  leisurely.  The  storm-bird  has  swallowed  up  all 
the  stars  as  if  they  were  flies,  and  the  poor  old  moun- 


230  HOMO    SUM. 

tain  is  so  grieved  at  it,  that  streams  of  tears  are  every- 
where flowing  over  his  stony  cheeks.  It  is  wet  even 
here.  Now  go  back  into  the  cave,  and  let  me  lay  this 
that  I  have  got  here  for  you  in  my  arms,  in  the  dry 
passage.  I  bring  you  good  news;  to-morrow  evening, 
when  it  is  growing  dusk,  we  start.  I  have  found  out 
a  vessel  which  will  convey  us  to  Klysma,  and  from 
thence  I  myself  will  conduct  you  to  Alexandria.  In  the 
sheepskin  here  you  will  find  the  dress  and  veil  of  an 
Amalekite  woman,  and  if  your  traces  are  to  be  kept 
hidden  from  Phcebicius,  you  must  accommodate  yourself 
to  this  disguise;  for  if  the  people  down  there  were  to  see 
you  as  I  saw  you  to-day,  they  would  think  that  Aphro- 
dite herself  had  risen  from  the  sea,  and  the  report  of  the 
fair-haired  beauty  that  had  appeared  among  them 
would  soon  spread  even  to  the  oasis." 

"But  it  seems  to  me  that  I  am  well  hidden  here," 
replied  Sirona.  "I  am  afraid  of  a  sea-voyage,  and 
even  if  we  succeeded  in  reaching  Alexandria  without 
impediment,  still  I  do  not  know — " 

"It  shall  be  my  business  to  provide  for  you  there." 
Paulus  interrupted  with  a  decision  that  was  almost 
boastful,  and  that  somewhat  disturbed  Sirona.  "You 
know  the  fable  of  the  ass  in  the  lion's  skin,  but  there 
are  lions  who  wear  the  skin  of  an  ass  on  their 
shoulders — or  of  a  sheep,  it  comes  to  the  same  thing. 
Yesterday  you  were  speaking  of  the  splendid  palaces  of 
the  citizens,  and  lauding  the  happiness  of  their  owners. 
You  shall  dwell  in  one  of  those  marble  houses,  and  rule 
it  as  its  mistress,  and  it  shall  be  my  care  to  procure 
you  slaves,  and  litter-bearers,  and  a  carriage  with  four 
mules.  Do  not  doubt  my  word,  for  I  am  promising 
nothing  that  I  cannot  perform.     The  rain  is  ceasing, 


HOMO    SUM.  231 

and  I  will  try  to  light  a  fire.  You  want  nothing  more 
to  eat?  Well  then,  I  will  wish  you  good-night.  The 
rest  will  all  do  to-morrow." 

Sirona  had  listened  in  astonishment  to  the  ancho- 
rite's promises. 

How  often  had  she  envied  those  who  possessed  all 
that  her  strange  protector  now  promised  her — and  now 
it  had  not  the  smallest  charm  for  her;  and,  fully  deter- 
mined in  any  case  not  to  follow  Paulus,  whom  she 
began  to  distrust,  she  replied,  as  she  coldly  returned 
his  greeting,  "There  are  many  hours  yet  before  to-mor- 
row evening  in  which  we  can  discuss  everything." 

While  Paulus  was  with  great  difficulty  rekindling 
the  fire,  she  was  once  more  alone,  and  again  she  began 
to  be  alarmed  in  the  dark  cavern. 

She  called  the  Alexandrian.  "The  darkness  terrifies 
me  so,"  she  said.  "You  still  had  some  oil  in  the  jug 
this  morning;  perhaps  you  may  be  able  to  contrive  a 
little  lamp  for  me;  it  is  so  fearful  to  stay  here  in  the 
dark." 

Paulus  at  once  took  a  shard,  tore  a  strip  from  his 
tattered  coat,  twisted  it  together,  and  laid  it  for  a  wick 
in  the  greasy  fluid,  lighted  it  at  the  slowly  reviving  fire, 
and  putting  this  more  than  simple  light  in  Sirona's 
hand,  he  said,  "  It  will  serve  its  purpose;  In  Alexandria 
I  will  see  that  you  have  lamps  which  give  more  light, 
and  which  are  made  by  a  better  artist." 

Sirona  placed  the  lamp  in  a  hollow  in  the  rocky 
wall  at  the  head  of  her  bed,  and  then  lay  down  to  rest. 

Light  scares  away  wild  beasts  and  fear  too  from 
the  resting-place  of  man,  and  it  kept  terrifying  thoughts 
far  away  from  the  Gaulish  woman. 

She  contemplated  her  situation  clearly  and  calmly, 


232  HOMO    SUM. 

and  quite  decided  that  she  would  neither  quit  the  cave, 
nor  entrust  herself  to  the  anchorite,  till  she  had  once 
more  seen  and  spoken  to  Polykarp.  He  no  doubt 
knew  where  to  seek  her,  and  certainly,  she  thought,  he 
would  by  this  time  have  returned,  if  the  storm  and  the 
starless  night  had  not  rendered  it  an  impossibility  to 
come  up  the  mountain  from  the  oasis. 

"  To-morrow  I  shall  see  him  again,  and  then  I  will 
open  my  heart  to  him,  and  he  shall  read  my  soul  like 
a  book,  and  on  every  page,  and  in  every  line  he  will 
find  his  own  name.  And  I  will  tell  him  too  that  I  have 
prayed  to  his  '  Good  Shepherd,'  and  how  much  good  it 
has  done  me,  and  that  I  will  be  a  Christian  like  his 
sister  Marthana  and  his  mother.  Dorothea  will  be  glad 
indeed  when  she  hears  it,  and  she  at  any  rate  cannot 
have  thought  that  I  was  wicked,  for  she  always  loved 
me,  and  the  children — the  children — " 

The  bright  crowd  of  merry  faces  came  smiling  in 
upon  her  fancy,  and  her  thoughts  passed  insensibly  into 
dreams;  kindly  sleep  touched  her  heart  with  its  gentle 
hand,  and  its  breath  swept  every  shadow  of  trouble 
from  her  soul.  She  slept,  smiling  and.  untroubled  as  a 
child  whose  eyes  some  guardian  angel  softly  kisses, 
while  her  strange  protector  now  turned  the  flickering 
wood  on  the  damp  hearth  and  with  a  reddening  face 
blew  up  the  dying  charcoal-fire,  and  again  walked  rest- 
lessly up  and  down,  and  paused  each  time  he  passed 
the  entrance  to  the  cave,  to  throw  a  longing  glance  at 
the  light  which  shone  out  from  Sirona's  sleeping-room. 

Since  the  moment  when  he  had  flung  Polykarp  to 
the  ground,  Paulus  had  not  succeeded  in  recovering  his 
self-command;  not  for  a  moment  had  he  regretted  the 
deed,  for  the  reflection  had  never  occurred  to  him,  that 


HOMO    SUM.  233 

a  fall  on  the  stony  soil  of  the  Sacred  Mountain,  which 
was  as  hard  as  iron,  must  hurt  more  than  a  fall  on  the 
sand  of  the  arena. 

"The  impudent  fellow,"  thought  he,  "richly  de- 
served what  he  got.  Who  gave  him  a  better  right  over 
Sirona  than  he,  Paulus  himself,  had— he  who  had  saved 
her  life,  and  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  protect  her?" 

Her  great  beauty  had  charmed  him  from  the  first 
moment  of  their  meeting,  but  no  impure  thought  stirred 
his  heart  as  he  gazed  at  her  with  delight,  and  listened 
with  emotion  to  her  childlike  talk.  It  was  the  hot 
torrent  of  Polykarp's  words  that  had  first  thrown  the 
spark  into  his  soul,  which  jealousy  and  the  dread  of 
having  to  abandon  Sirona  to  another,  had  soon  fanned 
into  a  consuming  flame.  He  would  not  give  up  this 
woman,  he  would  continue  to  care  for  her  every  need, 
she  should  owe  everything  to  him,  and  to  him  only. 
And  so,  without  reserve,  he  devoted  himself  body  and 
soul  to  the  preparations  for  her  flight.  The  hot  breath 
of  the  storm,  the  thunder  and  lightning,  torrents  of  rain, 
and  blackness  of  night  could  not  delay  him,  while  he 
leaped  from  rock  to  rock,  feeling  his  way — soaked 
through,  weary  and  in  peril;  he  thought  only  of  her, 
and  of  how  he  could  most  safely  carry  her  to  Alexandria, 
and  then  surround  her  with  all  that  could  charm  a 
woman's  taste.  Nothing — nothing  did  he  desire  for 
himself,  and  all  that  he  dreamed  of  and  planned  turned 
only  and  exclusively  on  the  pleasure  which  he  might 
afford  her.  When  he  had  prepared  and  lighted  the 
lamp  for  her  he  saw  her  again,  and  was  startled  at  the 
beauty  of  the  face  that  the  trembling  flame  revealed. 
He  could  observe  her  a  few  seconds  only,  and  then  she 
had  vanished,  and  he  must  remain  alone  in  the  dark- 


234  HOMO    SUM. 

ness  and  the  rain.  He  walked  restlessly  up  and  down,, 
and  an  agonizing  longing  once  more  to  see  her  face 
lighted  up  by  the  pale  flame,  and  the  white  arm  that 
she  had  held  out  to  take  the  lamp,  grew  more  and 
more  strong  in  him  and  accelerated  the  pulses  of  his 
throbbing  heart.  As  often  as  he  passed  the  cave,  and 
observed  the  glimmer  of  light  that  came  from  her  room, 
he  felt  prompted  and  urged  to  slip  in,  and  to  gaze  on 
her  once  more.  He  never  once  thought  of  prayer  and 
scourging,  his  old  means  of  grace,  he  sought  rather  for 
a  reason  that  might  serve  him  as  an  excuse  if  he  went 
in,  and  it  struck  him  that  it  was  cold,  and  that  a  sheep- 
skin was  lying  in  the  cavern.  He  would  fetch  it,  in 
spite  of  his  vow  never  to  wear  a  sheepskin  again; 
and  supposing  he  were  thus  enabled  to  see  her,  what 
next? 

When  he  had  stepped  across  the  threshold,  an  in- 
ward voice  warned  him  to  return,  and  told  him  that  he 
must  be  treading  the  path  of  unrighteousness,  for  that 
he  was  stealing  in  on  tiptoe  like  a  thief;  but  the  excuse 
was  ready  at  once.  "That  is  for  fear  of  waking  her,  if 
she  is  asleep." 

And  now  all  further  reflection  was  silenced  for  he 
had  already  reached  the  spot  where,  at  the  end  of  the 
rocky  passage,  the  cave  widened  into  her  sleeping- 
room  ;  there  she  lay  on  her  hard  couch,  sunk  in  slumber 
and  enchantingly  fair. 

A  deep  gloom  reigned  around,  and  the  feeble  light 
of  the  little  lamp  lighted  up  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
dismal  chamber  but  the  head,  throat,  and  arms  that 
it  illuminated  seemed  to  shine  with  a  light  of  their  own 
that  enhanced  and  consecrated  the  light  of  the  feeble 
flame.     Paulus  fell  breathless  on  his  knees,  and  fixed 


HOMO    SUM.  235 

his  eyes  with  growing  eagerness  on  the  graceful  form  of 
the  sleeper. 

Sirona  was  dreaming;  her  head,  veiled  in  her  golden 
hair,  rested  on  a  high  pillow  of  herbs,  and  her  delicately 
rosy  face  was  turned  up  to  the  vault  of  the  cave;  her 
half-closed  lips  moved  gently,  and  now  she  moved  her 
bent  arm  and  her  white  hand,  on  which  the  light  of  the 
lamp  fell,  and  which  rested  half  on  her  forehead  and 
half  on  her  shining  hair. 

"  Is  she  saying  anything  ?  "  asked  Paulus  of  himself, 
and  he  pressed  his  brow  against  a  projection  of  the 
rock  as  tightly  as  if  he  would  stem  the  rapid  rush  of 
his  blood  that  it  might  not  overwhelm  his  bewildered 
brain. 

'Again  she  moved  her  lips.  Had  she  indeed 
spoken?     Had  she  perhaps  called  him? 

That  could  not  be,  for  she  still  slept ;  but  he  wished 
to  believe  it — and  he  would  believe  it,  and  he  stole 
nearer  to  her  and  nearer,  and  bent  over  her,  and  listen- 
ed— while  his  own  strength  failed  him  even  to  draw  a 
breath — listened  to  the  soft  regular  breathing  that  heav- 
ed her  bosom.  No  longer  master  of  himself  he  touched 
her  white  arm  with  his  bearded  lips  and  she  drew  it 
back  in  her  sleep,  then  his  gaze  fell  on  her  parted  lips 
and  the  pearly  teeth  that  shone  between  them,  and  a 
mad  longing  to  kiss  them  came  irresistibly  over  him. 
He  bent  trembling  over  her,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
gratifying  his  impulse  when,  as  if  startled  by  a  sudden 
apparition,  he  drew  back,  and  raised  his  eyes  from  the 
rosy  lips  to  the  hand  that  rested  on  the  sleeper's  brow. 

The  lamplight  played  on  a  golden  ring  on  Sirona's 
finger,  and  shone  brightly  on  an  onyx  on  which  was 
engraved  an  image  of  Tyche,  the  tutelary  goddess  of* 


2$6  HOMO    SUM. 

Antioch,  with  a  sphere  upon  her  head,  and  bearing 
Amalthea's  horn  in  her  hand. 

A  new  and  strange  emotion  took  possession  of  the 
anchorite  at  the  sight  of  this  stone.  With  trembling 
hands  he  felt  in  the  breast  of  his  torn  garment,  and 
presently  drew  forth  a  small  iron  crucifix  and  the  ring 
that  he  had  taken  from  the  cold  hand  of  Hermas' 
mother.  In  the  golden  circlet  was  set  an  onyx,  on 
which  precisely  the  same  device  was  visible  as  that  on 
Sirona's  hand.  The  string  with  its  precious  jewel  fell 
from  his  grasp,  he  clutched  his  matted  hair  with  both 
hands,  groaned  deeply,  and  repeated  again  and  again, 
as  though  to  crave  forgiveness,  the  name  of  "  Mag- 
dalen." 

Then  he  called  Sirona  in  a  loud  voice,  and  as  she 
awoke  excessively  startled,  he  asked  her  in  urgent  tones : 

"  Who  gave  you  that  ring  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  present  from  Phcebicius,"  replied  she. 
"  He  said  he  had  had  it  given  to  him  many  years  since 
in  Antioch,  and  that  it  had  been  engraved  by  a  great 
artist.  But  I  do  not  want  it  any  more,  and  if  you  like 
to  have  it  you  may." 

"  Throw  it  away  !  "  exclaimed  Paulus,  "  it  will  bring 
you  nothing  but  misfortune."  Then  he  collected  him- 
self, went  out  into  the  air  with  his  head  sunk  on  his 
breast,  and  there,  throwing  himself  down  on  the  wet 
stones  by  the  hearth,  he  cried  out: 

"  Magdalen  !  dearest  and  purest !  You,  when  you 
ceased  to  be  Glycera,  became  a  saintly  martyr,  and 
found  the  road  to  heaven;  I  too  had  my  day  of 
Damascus — of  revelation  and  conversion — and  I  dared 
to  call  myself  by  the  name  of  Paulus — and  now — 
now?" 


HOMO    SUM.  237 

Plunged  in  despair  he  beat  his  forehead,  groaning 
out,  "  All,  all  in  vain !  " 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Common  natures  can  only  be  lightly  touched  by  the 
immeasurable  depth  of  anguish  that  is  experienced  by  a 
soul  that  despairs  of  itself;  but  the  more  heavily  the 
blow  of  such  suffering  falls,  the  more  surely  does  it 
work  with  purifying  power  on  him  who  has  to  taste  of 
that  cup. 

Paulus  thought  no  more  of  the  fair,  sleeping 
woman  ;  tortured  by  acute  remorse  he  lay  on  the  hard 
stones,  feeling  that  he  had  striven  in  vain.  When  he 
had  taken  Hermas'  sin  and  punishment  and  disgrace 
upon  himself,  it  had  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  treading 
in  the  very  footsteps  of  the  Saviour.  And  now  ? — He 
felt  like  one  who,  while  running  for  a  prize,  stumbles 
over  a  stone  and  grovels  in  the  sand  when  he  is  already 
close  to  the  goal. 

"  God  sees  the  will  and  not  the  deed,"  he  muttered 
to  himself.  "  What  I  did  wrong  with  regard  to  Sirona 
— or  what  I  did  not  do — that  matters  not.  When  I 
leaned  over  her,  I  had  fallen  utterly  and  entirely  into 
the  power  of  the  evil  one,  and  was  an  ally  of  the 
deadliest  enemy  of  Him  to  whom  I  had  dedicated  my 
life  and  soul.  Of  what  avail  was  my  flight  from  the 
world,  and  my  useless  sojourn  in  the  desert  ?  He  who 
always  keeps  out  of  the  way  of  the  battle  can  easily 
boast  of  being  unconquered  to  the  end — but  is  he 
therefore  a  hero  ?  The  palm  belongs  to  him  who  in  the 


238  HOMO    SUM. 

midst  of  the  struggles  and  affairs  of  trie  world  clings  to 
the  heavenward  road,  and  never  lets  himself  be  divert- 
ed from  it;  but  as  for  me  who  walk  here  alone,  a 
woman  and  a  boy  cross  my  path,  and  one  threatens 
and  the  other  beckons  to  me,  and  I  forget  my  aim  and 
stumble  into  the  bog  of  iniquity.  And  so  I  cannot  find 
— no,  here  I  cannot  find  what  I  strive  after.  But  how 
then — how  ?  Enlighten  me,  O  Lord,  and  reveal  to  me 
what  I  must  do." 

Thus  thinking  he  rose,  knelt  down,  and  prayed 
fervently ;  when  at  last  he  came  to  the  'Amen,'  his  head 
was  burning,  and  his  tongue  parched. 

The  clouds  had  parted,  though  they  still  hung  in 
black  masses  in  the  west;  from  time  to  time  gleams  of 
lightning  shone  luridly  on  the  horizon  and  lighted  up 
the  jagged  peak  of  mountain  with  a  flare;  the  moon 
had  risen,  but  its  waning  disk  was  frequently  obscured 
by  dark  driving  masses  of  cloud;  blinding  flashes,  ten- 
der light,  and  utter  darkness  were  alternating  with 
bewildering  rapidity,  when  Paulus  at  last  collected  him- 
self, and  went  down  to  the  spring  to  drink,  and  to  cool 
his  brow  in  the  fresh  water.  Striding  from  stone  to 
stone  he  told  himself,  that  ere  he  could  begin  a  new 
life,  he  must  do  penance — some  heavy  penance;  but 
what  was  it  to  be  ?  He  was  standing  at  the  very  margin 
of  the  brook,  hemmed  in  by  cliffs,  and  was  bending 
down  to  it,  but  before  he  had  moistened  his  lips  he 
drew  back:  just  because  he  was  so  thirsty  he  resolved 
to  deny  himself  drink.  Hastily,  almost  vehemently,  he 
turned  his  back  on  the  spring,  and  after  this  little 
victory  over  himself,  his  storm-tossed  heart  seemed  a 
little  calmer.  Far,  far  from  hence  and  from  the  wilder- 
ness and  from  the  Sacred  Mountain  he  felt  impelled  to 


HOMO    SUM.  239 

fly,  and  he  would  gladly  have  fled  then  and  there  to  a 
distance.  Whither  should  he  flee  ?  It  was  all  the  same, 
for  he  was  in  search  of  suffering,  and  suffering,  like 
weeds,  grows  on  every  road.  And  from  whom?  This 
question  repeated  itself  again  and  again  as  if  he  had 
shouted  it  in  the  very  home  of  echo,  and  the  answer 
was  not  hard  to  find:  "It  is  from  yourself  that  you 
would  flee.  It  is  your  own  inmost  self  that  is  your 
enemy;  bury  yourself  in  what  desert  you  will,  it  will 
pursue  you,  and  it  would  be  easier  for  you  to  cut  off 
your  shadow  than  to  leave  that  behind  ?" 

His  whole  consciousness  was  absorbed  by  this  sense 
of  impotency,  and  now,  after  the  stormy  excitement 
of  the  last  few  hours,  the  deepest  depression  took  pos- 
session of  his  mind.  Exhausted,  unstrung,  full  of  loath- 
ing of  himself  and  life,  he  sank  down  on  a  stone,  and 
thought  over  the  occurrences  of  the  last  few  days  with 
perfect  impartiality. 

"  Of  all  the  fools  that  ever  I  met,"  thought  he,  "  I 
have  gone  farthest  in  folly,  and  have  thereby  led  things 
into  a  state  of  confusion  which  I  myself  could  not 
make  straight  again,  even  if  I  were  a  sage — which  I 
certainly  never  shall  be  any  more  than  a  tortoise  or  a 
phoenix.  I  once  heard  tell  of  a  hermit  who,  because  it 
is  written  that  we  ought  to  bury  the  dead,  and  because 
he  had  no  corpse,  slew  a  traveller  that  he  might  fulfil 
the  commandment:  I  have  acted  in  exactly  the  same 
way,  for,  in  order  to  spare  another  man  suffering  and 
to  bear  the  sins  of  another,  I  have  plunged  an  innocent 
woman  into  misery,  and  made  myself  indeed  a  sinner. 
As  soon  as  it  is  light  I  will  go  down  to  the  oasis  and 
confess  to  Petrus  and  Dorothea  what  I  have  done. 
They  will  punish  me,  and  I  will  honestly  help  them,  so 


240  HOMO    SUM. 

that  nothing  of  the  penance  that  they  may  lay  upon  me 
may  be  remitted.  The  less  mercy  I  show  to  myself, 
the  more  will  the  Eternal  Judge  show  to  me." 

He  rose,  considered  the  position  of  the  stars,  and 
when  he  perceived  that  morning  was  not  far  off,  he 
prepared  to  return  to  Sirona,  who  was  no  longer  any 
more  to  him  than  an  unhappy  woman  to  whom  he 
owed  reparation  for  much  evil,  when  a  loud  cry  of  dis- 
tress in  the  immediate  vicinity  fell  on  his  ear. 

He  mechanically  stooped  to  pick  up  a  stone  for  a 
weapon,  and  listened.  He  knew  every  rock  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  spring,  and  when  the  strange 
groan  again  made  itself  heard,  he  knew  that  it  came 
from  a  spot  which  he  knew  well  and  where  he  had 
often  rested,  because  a  large  flat  stone  supported  by  a 
stout  pillar  of  granite,  stood  up  far  above  the  surround- 
ing rocks,  and  afforded  protection  from  the  sun,  even  at 
noonday,  when  not  a  hand's  breath  of  shade  was  to  be 
found  elsewhere. 

Perhaps  some  wounded  beast  had  crept  under  the 
rock  for  shelter  from  the  rain.  Paulus  went  cautiously 
forward.  The  groaning  sounded  louder  and  more  dis- 
tinct than  before,  and  beyond  a  doubt  it  was  the  voice 
of  a  human  being. 

The  anchorite  hastily  threw  away,  the  stone,  fell 
upon  his  knees,  and  soon  found  on  the  dry  spot  of 
ground  under  the  stone,  and  in  the  farthermost  nook  of 
the  retreat,  a  motionless  human  form. 

"  It  is  most  likely  a  herdsman  that  has  been  struck 
by  lightning,"  thought  he,  as  he  felt  with  his  hands  the 
curly  head  of  the  sufferer,  and  the  strong  arms  that  now 
hung  down  powerless.  As  he  raised  the  injured  man, 
who  still  uttered  low  moans,  and  supported  his  head  on 


HOMO    SUM.  241 

his  broad  breast,  the  sweet  perfume  of  fine  ointment 
was  wafted  to  him  from  his  hair,  and  a  fearful  suspicion 
dawned  upon  his  mind. 

"Polykarp!"  he  cried,  while  he  clasped  his  hands 
more  tightly  round  the  body  of  the  sufferer  who,  thus 
called  upon,  moved  and  muttered  a  few  unintelligible 
words;  in  a  low  tone,  but  still  much  too  clearly  for 
Paulus,  for  he  now  knew  for  certain  that  he  had  guessed 
rightly.  With  a  loud  cry  of  horror  he  grasped  the 
youth's  powerless  form,  raised  him  in  his  arms,  and 
carried  him  like  a  child  to  the  margin  of  the  spring 
where  he  laid  his  noble  burden  down  in  the  moist 
grass;  Polykarp  started  and  opened  his  eyes. 

Morning  was  already  dawning,  the  light  clouds  on 
the  eastern  horizon  were  already  edged  with  rosy 
fringes,  and  the  coming  day  began  to  lift  the  dark  veil 
from  the  forms  and  hues  of  creation. 

The  young  man  recognized  the  anchorite,  who  with 
trembling  hands  was  washing  the  wound  at  the  back  of 
his  head,  and  his  eye  assumed  an  angry  glare  as  he 
called  up  all  his  remaining  strength  and  pushed  his 
attendant  from  him.  Paulus  did  not  withdraw,  he  ac- 
cepted the  blow  from  his  victim  as  a  gift  or  a  greeting, 
thinking,  "Aye,  and  I  only  wish  you  had  a  dagger  in 
your  hand;  I  would  not  resist  you." 

The  artist's  wound  was  frightfully  wide  and  deep, 
but  the  blood  had  flowed  among  his  thick  curls,  and 
had  clotted  over  the  lacerated  veins  like  a  thick  dress- 
ing. The  water  with  which  Paulus  now  washed  his 
head  reopened  them,  and  renewed  the  bleeding,  and 
after  the  one  powerful  effort  with  which  Polykarp 
pushed  away  his  enemy,  he  fell  back  senseless  in  his 
arms      The  wan  morning-light  added  to  the  pallor  of 


242  HOMO    SUM. 

the  bloodless  countenance  that  lay  with  glazed  eyes  in 
the  anchorite's  lap. 

"He  is  dying!"  murmured  Paulus  in  deadly  anguish 
and  with  choking  breath,  while  he  looked  across  the 
valley  and  up  to  the  heights,  seeking  help.  The  moun- 
tain rose  in  front  of  him,  its  majestic  mass  glowing  in 
the  rosy  dawn,  while  light  translucent  vapor  floated 
round  the  peak  where  the  Lord  had  written  His  laws 
for  His  chosen  people,  and  for  all  peoples,  on  tables  of 
stone;  it  seemed  to  Paulus  that  he  saw  the  giant  form 
of  Moses  far,  far  up  on  its  sublimest  height  and  that 
from  his  lips  in  brazen  tones  the  strictest  of  all  the 
commandments  was  thundered  down  upon  him  with 
awful  wrath,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill!" 

Paulus  clasped  his  hands  before  his  face  in  silent 
despair,  while  his  victim  still  lay  in  his  lap.  He  had 
closed  his  eyes,  for  he  dared  not  look  on  the  youth's 
pale  countenance,  and  still  less  dared  he  look  up  at  the 
mountain;  but  the  brazen  voice  from  the  height  did 
not  cease,  and  sounded  louder  and  louder;  half  beside 
himself  with  excitement,  in  his  inward  ear  he  heard  it 
still,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill!"  and  then  again,  "Thou 
shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife!"  a  third  time, 
"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery!"  and  at  last  a  fourth, 
"Thou  shalt  have  none  other  gods  but  me!" 

He  that  sins  against  one  of  those  laws  is  damned; 
and  he — he  had  broken  them  all,  broken  them  while 
striving  to  tread  the  thorny  path  to  a  life  of  blessedness. 

Suddenly  and-  wildly  he  threw  his  arms  up  to 
heaven,  and  sighing  deeply,  gazed  up  at  the  sacred 
hill. 

What  was  that?  On  the  topmost  peak  of  Sinai 
whence   the    Pharanite   sentinels  were    accustomed   to 


HOMO    SUM.  243 

watch  the  distance,  a  handkerchief  was  waving  as  a 
signal  that  the  enemy  were  approaching. 

He  could  not  be  mistaken,  and  as  in  the  face  of 
approaching  danger  he  collected  himself  and  recovered 
his  powers  of  thought  and  deliberation,  his  ear  distinctly 
caught  the  mighty  floods  of  stirring  sound  that  came 
over  the  mountain,  from  the  brazen  cymbals  struck  by 
the  watchmen  to  warn  the  inhabitants  of  the  oasis,  and 
the  anchorites. 

Was  Hermas  returned?  Had  the  Blemmyes  out- 
stripped him  ?  From  what  quarter  were  the  marauding 
hosts  coming  on  ?  Could  he  venture  to  remain  here 
near  his  victim,  or  was  it  his  duty  to  use  his  powerful 
arms  in  defence  of  his  helpless  companions  ?  In  ago- 
nized doubt  he  looked  down  at  the  youth's  pallid 
features,  and  deep,  sorrowful  compassion  filled  his 
mind. 

How  promising  was  this  young  tree  of  humanity 
that  his  rough  fist  had  broken  off!  and  these  brown 
curls  had  only  yesterday  been  stroked  by  a  mother's 
hand.  His  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he  bent  as  ten- 
derly as  a  father  might  over  the  pale  face,  and  pressed 
-a  gentle  kiss  on  the  bloodless  lips  of  the  senseless 
youth.  A  thrill  of  joy  shot  through  him,  for  Polykarp's 
lips  were  indeed  not  cold,  he  moved  his  hand,  and 
now — the  Lord  be  praised!  he  actually  opened  his 
eyes. 

"And  I  am  not  a  murderer!"  A  thousand  voices 
seem  to  sing  with  joy  in  his  heart,  and  then  he  thought 
to  himself,  "  First  I  will  carry  him  down  to  his  parents 
in  the  oasis,  and  then  go  up  to  the  brethren." 

But  the  brazen  signals  rang  out  with  renewed  power, 
and  the  stillness  of  the  holy  wilderness  was   broken 


244  HOMO    SUM. 

here  by  the  clatter  of  men's  voices,  there  by  a  blast  of 
trumpets,  and  there  again  by  stifled  cries.  It  was  as  if 
a  charm  had  given  life  to  the  rocks  and  lent  them 
voices;  as  if  noise  and  clamor  were  rushing  like  wild 
torrents  down  every  gorge  and  cleft  of  the  mountain- 
side. 

"It  is  too  late,"  sighed  the  anchorite.  "If  I  only 
could — if  I  only  knew — " 

"  Hallo!  hallo!  holy  Paulus!"  a  shrill  woman's  voice 
which  seemed  to  come  from  high  up  in  the  air  rang  out 
joyful  and  triumphant,  interrupting  the  irresolute  man's 
meditations,  "Hermas  is  alive!  Hermas  is  here  again! 
Only  look  up  at  the  heights.  There  flies  the  standard, 
for  he  has  warned  the  sentinels.  The  Blemmyes  are 
coming  on,  and  he  sent  me  to  seek  you.  You  must 
come  to  the  strong  tower  on  the  western  side  of  the 
ravine.  Make  haste!  come  at  once!  Do  you  hear? 
He  told  me  to  tell  you.  But  the  man  in  your  lap — it 
is — yes,  it  is — " 

"It  is  your  master's  son  Polykarp,"  Paulus  called 
back  to  her.  "He  is  hurt  unto  death;  hurry  down  to 
the  oasis,  and  tell  the  senator,  tell  Dame  Dorothea — " 

"  I  have  something  else  to  do  now,"  interrupted  the 
shepherdess.  "  Hermas  has  sent  me  to  warn  Gelasius, 
Psoes,  and  Dulas,  and  if  I  went  down  into  the  oasis 
they  would  lock  me  up,  and  not  let  me  come  up  the 
mountain  again.  What  has  happened  to  the  poor 
fellow?  But  it  is  all  the  same:  there  is  something  else 
for  you  to  do  besides  grieving  over  a  hole  in  Polykarp's 
head.  Go  up  to  the  tower,  I  tell  you,  and  let  him 
lie — or  carry  him  up  with  you  into  your  new  den,  and 
hand  him  over  to  your  sweetheart  to  nurse." 

"Demon!"  exclaimed  Paulus,  taking  up  a  stone. 


HOMO    SUM.  245 

"Let  him  lie!"  repeated  Miriam.  "  I  will  betray  her 
hiding-place  to  Phcebicius,  if  you  do  not  do  as  Kermas 
orders  you.  Now  I  am  off  to  call  the  others,  and  we 
shall  meet  again  at  the  tower.  And  you  had  better 
not  linger  too  long  with  your  fair  companion — pious 
Paulus — saintly  Paulus!" 

And  laughing  loudly,  she  sprang  away  from  rock  to 
rock  as  if  borne  up  by  the  air. 

The  Alexandrian  looked  wrathfully  after  her;  but 
her  advice  did  not  seem  to  be  bad,  he  lifted  the 
wounded  man  on  his  shoulders,  and  hastily  carried  him 
up  towards  his  cave;  but  before  he  could  reach  it  he 
heard  steps,  and  a  loud  agonized  scream,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  Sirona  was  by  his  side,  crying  in  passionate 
grief,  "It  is  he,  it  is  he — and  oh,  to  see  him  thus! — But 
he  must  live,  for  if  he  were  dead  your  God  of  Love 
would  be  inexorable,  pitiless,  hard,  cruel — it  would 
be—" 

She  could  say  no  more,  for  tears  choked  her  voice, 
and  Paulus,  without  listening  to  her  lamentation, 
passed  quickly  on  in  front  of  her,  entered  the  cave  and 
laid  the  unconscious  man  down  on  the  couch,  saying 
gravely  but  kindly,  as  Sirona  threw  herself  on  her 
knees  and  pressed  the  young  man's  powerless  hand  to 
her  lips,  "  If  indeed  you  truly  love  him,  cease  crying 
and  lamenting.  He  yesterday  got  a  severe  wound  on 
his  head;  I  have  washed  it,  now  do  you  bind  it  up 
with  care,  and  keep  it  constantly  cool  with  fresh  water. 
You  know  your  way  to  the  spring;  when  he  recovers  his 
senses  rub  his  feet,  and  give  him  some  bread  and  a  few 
drops  of  the  wine  which  you  will  find  in  the  little  cellar 
hard  by;  there  is  some  oil  there  too,  which  you  will 
need  for  a  light. 


246  HOMO    SUM. 

"I  must  go  up  to  the  brethren,  and  if  I  do  not 
return  to-morrow,  give  the  poor  lad  over  to  his  mother 
to  nurse.  Only  tell  her  this,  that  I,  Paulus^  gave  him 
this  wound  in  a  moment  of  rage,  and  to  forgive  me  if 
she  can,  she  and  Petrus.  And  you  too  forgive  me  that 
in  which  I  have  sinned  against  you,  and  if  I  should 
fall  in  the  battle  which  awaits  us,  pray  that  the  Lord 
may  not  be  too  hard  upon  me  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
for  my  sins  are  great  and  many." 

At  this  moment  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  sounded 
even  into  the  deepest  recess  of  the  cave.  Sirona  started. 
"That  is  the  Roman  tuba,"  she  exclaimed.  "I  know 
the  sound — Phcebicius  is  coming  this  way." 

"  He  is  doing  his  duty,"  replied  Paulus.  "And  stilly 
one  thing  more.  I  saw  last  night  a  ring  on  your 
hand — an  onyx." 

"There  it  lies,"  said  Sirona;  and  she  pointed  to  the 
farthest  corner  of  the  cave,  where  it  lay  on  the  dusty 
soil. 

"Let  it  remain  there,"  Paulus  begged  of  her;  he 
bent  over  the  senseless  man  once  more  to  kiss  his  fore- 
head, raised  his  hand  towards  Sirona  in  sign  of  bless- 
ing, and  rushed  out  into  the  open  air. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Two  paths  led  over  the  mountain  from  the  oasis  to* 
the  sea;  both  followed  deep  and  stony  gorges,  one  of 
which  was  named  the  "short  cut,''  because  the  traveller 
reached  his  destination  more  quickly  by  that  road  than 
by  following  the  better  road  in  the  other  ravine,  which 


HOMO    SUM.  247 

was  practicable  for  beasts  of  burden.  Half-way  up  the 
height  the  "  short  cut"  opened  out  on  a  little  plateau, 
whose  western  side  was  shut  in  by  a  high  mass  of  rock 
with  steep  and  precipitous  flanks.  At  the  top  of  this 
rock  stood  a  tower  built  of  rough  blocks,  in  which  the 
anchorites  were  wont  to  take  refuge  when  they  were 
threatened  with  a  descent  of  their  foes. 

The  position  of  this  castle — as  the  penitents  proudly 
styled  their  tower — was  well-chosen,  for  from  its  summit 
they  commanded  not  only  the  "short  cut"  to  the  oasis, 
but  also  the  narrow  shell-strewn  strip  of  desert  which 
divided  the  western  declivity  of  the  Holy  Mountain 
from  the  shore,  the  blue-green  waters  of  the  sea,  and 
the  distant  chain  of  hills  on  the  African  coast. 

Whatever  approached  the  tower,  whether  from  afar 
or  from  the  neighborhood,  was  at  once  espied  by  them, 
and  the  side  of  the  rock  which  was  turned  to  the  road- 
way was  so  precipitous  and  smooth  that  it  remained 
inaccessible  even  to  the  natives  of  the  desert,  who,  with 
their  naked  feet  and  sinewy  arms,  could  climb  points 
which  even  the  wild  goat  and  the  jackal  made  a  circuit 
to  avoid.  It  was  more  accessible  from  the  other  side, 
and  in  order  to  secure  that,  a  very  strong  wall  had  been 
built,  which  enclosed  the  level  on  which  the  castle 
stood  in  the  fonn  of  a  horseshoe,  of  which  the  ends 
abutted  on  the  declivity  of  the  short  road.  This  struct- 
ure was  so  roughly  and  inartistically  heaped  together 
that  it  looked  as  if  formed  by  nature  rather  than  by 
the  hand  of  man.  The  rough  and  unfinished  appear- 
ance of  this  wall-like  heap  of  stones  was  heightened  by 
the  quantity  of  large  and  small  pieces  of  granite  which 
were  piled  on  the  top  of  it,  and  which  had  been  col- 
lected by  the  anchorites,  in  case  of  an  incursion,  to  roll 


248  HOMO    SUM. 

and  hurl  down  on  the  invading  robbers.  A  cistern  had 
been  dug  out  of  the  rocky  soil  of  the  plateau  which  the 
wall  enclosed,  and  care  was  taken  to  keep  it  constantly 
hlled  with  water. 

Such  precautions  were  absolutely  necessary,  for  the 
anchorites  were  threatened  with  dangers  from  two  sides. 
First  from  the  Ishmaelite  hordes  of  Saracens  who  fell 
upon  them  from  the  east,  and  secondly  from  the  Blem- 
myes,  the  wild  inhabitants  of  the  desert  country  which 
borders  the  fertile  lands  of  Egypt  and  Nubia,  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  barren  highlands  that  part  the  Red  Sea 
from  the  Nile  valley;  they  crossed  the  sea  in  light 
skiffs,  and  then  poured  over  the  mountain  like  a  swarm 
of  locusts. 

The  little  stores  and  savings  which  the  defenceless 
hermits  treasured  in  their  caves  had  tempted  the  Blem- 
myes  again  and  again,  in  spite  of  the  Roman  garrison 
in  Pharan,  which  usually  made  its  appearance  on  the 
scene  of  their  incursion  long  after  they  had  disappeared 
with  their  scanty  booty.  Not  many  months  since,  the 
raid  had  been  effected  in  which  old  Stephanus  had  been 
wounded  by  an  arrow,  and  there  was  every  reason  to 
hope  that  the  wild  marauders  would  not  return  very 
soon,  for  Phcebicius,  the  commander  of  the  Roman 
maniple  in  the  oasis,  was  swift  and  vigorous  in  his 
office,  and  though  he  had  not  succeeded  in  protecting 
the  anchorites  from  all  damage,  he  had  followed  up  the 
Blemmyes,  who  fled  at  his  approach,  and  cut  them  off 
from  rejoining  their  boats.  A  battle  took  place  between 
the  barbarians  and  the  Romans  not  far  from  the  coast 
on  the  desert  tract  dividing  the  hills  from  the  sea,  which 
resulted  in  the  total  annihilation  of  the  wild  tribes  and 
gave  ground  to  hope  that  such  a  lesson  might  serve  as 


HOMO    SUM. 


'A? 


a  warning  to  the  sons  of  the  desert.  But  if  hitherto  the 
more  easily  quelled  promptings  of  covetousness  had  led 
them  to  cross  the  sea,  they  were  now  animated  by  the 
most  sacred  of  all  duties,  by  the  law  which  required 
them  to  avenge  the  blood  of  their  fathers  and  brothers, 
and  they  dared  to  plan  a  fresh  incursion  in  which  they 
should  put  forth  all  their  resources.  They  were  at  the 
same  time  obliged  to  exercise  the  greatest  caution,  and 
collected  their  forces  of  young  men  in  the  valleys  that 
lay  hidden  in  the  long  range  of  coast-hills. 

The  passage  of  the  narrow  arm  of  the  sea  that 
parted  them  from  Arabia  Petraea,  was  to  be  effected  in 
the  first  dark  night ;  the  sun,  this  evening,  had  set  be- 
hind heavy  storm-clouds  that  had  discharged  themselves 
in  violent  rain  and  had  obscured  the  light  of  the  waning 
moon.  So  they  drew  their  boats  and  rafts  down  to 
the  sea,  and,  unobserved  by  the  sentinels  on  the  moun- 
tain who  had  taken  shelter  from  the  storm  under  their 
little  penthouses,  they  would  have  reached  the  opposite 
shore,  the  mountain,  and  perhaps  even  the  oasis,  if 
some  one  had  not  warned  the  anchorites — and  that  some 
one  was  Hermas. 

Obedient  to  the  commands  of  Paulus,  the  lad  had 
appropriated  three  of  his  friend's  gold  pieces,  had  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  bow  and  arrows  and  some  bread, 
and  then,  after  muttering  a  farewell  to  his  father  who 
was  asleep  in  his  cave,  he  set  out  for  Raithu.  Happy 
in  the  sense  of  his  strength  and  manhood,  proud  of  the 
task  which  had  been  set  him  and  which  he  deemed 
worthy  of  a  future  soldier,  and  cheerfully  ready  to  fulfil 
it  even  at  the  cost  of  his  life,  he  hastened  forward  in 
the  bright  moonlight.  He  quitted  the  path  at  the  spot 
where,  to  render  the  ascent  possible  even  to  the  vigor- 


2'50  HOMO    SUM. 

ous  desert-travellers,  it  took  a  zigzag  line,  and  clam- 
bered from  rock  to  rock,  up  and  down  in  a  direct  line; 
when  he  came  to  a  level  spot  he  flew  on  as  if  pursuers 
were  at  his  heels.  After  sunrise  he  refreshed  himself  with 
a  morsel  of  food,  and  then  hurried  on  again,  not  heed- 
ing the  heat  of  noon,  nor  that  of  the  soft  sand  in  which 
his  foot  sank  as  he  followed  the  line  of  the  sea-coast. 

Thus  passionately  hurrying  onwards  he  thought 
neither  of*  Sirona  nor  of  his  past  life — only  of  the  hills 
on  the  farther  shore  and  of  the  Blemmyes — how  he 
should  best  surprise  them,  and,  when  he  had  learnt 
their  plans,  how  he  might  recross  the  sea  and  return  to 
his  own  people.  At  last,  as  he  got  more  and  more 
weary,  as  the  heat  of  the  sun  grew  more  oppressive, 
and  as  the  blood  rushed  more  painfully  to  his  heart  and 
began  to  throb  more  rapidly  in  his  temples,  he  lost  all 
power  of  thought,  and  that  which  dwelt  in  his  mind 
was  no  more  than  a  dumb  longing  to  reach  his  destina- 
tion as  soon  as  possible. 

It  was  the  third  afternoon  when  he  saw  from  afar 
the  palms  of  Raithu,  and  hurried  on  with  revived 
strength.  Before  the  sun  had  set  he  had  informed  the 
anchorite,  to  whom  Paulus  had  directed  him,  that  the 
Alexandrian  declined  their  call,  and  was  minded  to 
remain  on  the  Holy  Mountain. 

Then  Hermas  proceeded  to  the  little  harbor,  to  bar- 
gain with  the  fishermen  of  the  place  for  the  boat  which 
he  needed.  While  he  was  talking  with  an  old  Ama- 
lekite  boatman,  who,  with  his  black-eyed  sons,  was 
arranging  his  nets,  two  riders  came  at  a  quick  pace  to- 
wards the  bay  in  which  a  large  merchant-ship  lay  at 
anchor,  surrounded  by  little  barks.  The  fisherman 
pointed  to  it. 


HOMO    SUM.  251 

"It  is  waiting  for  the  caravan  from  Petra,"  he  said. 
"There,  on  the  dromedary,  is  the  emperor's  great  war- 
rior who  commands  the  Romans  in  Pharan." 

"  Hermas  saw  Phoebicius  for  the  first  time,  and  as 
he  rode  up  towards  him  and  the  fisherman  he  started; 
if  he  had  followed  his  first  impulse,  he  would  have 
turned  and  have  taken  to  flight,  but  his  clear  eyes  had 
met  the  dull  and  searching  glance  of  the  centurion, 
and,  blushing  at  his  own  weakness,  he  stood  still  with 
his  arms  crossed,  and  proudly  and  defiantly  awaited 
the  Gaul  who  with  his  companion  came  straight  up  to 
him. 

Talib  had  previously  seen  the  youth  by  his  father's 
side;  he  recognized  him  and  asked  how  long  he  had 
been  there,  and  if  he  had  come  direct  from  the  moun- 
tain. Hermas  answered  him  as  was  becoming,  and 
understood  at  once  that  it  was  not  he  that  the  centu- 
rion was  seeking. 

Perfectly  reassured  and  not  without  curiosity  he 
looked  at  the  new-comer,  and  a  smile  curled  his  lips  as 
he  observed  that  the  lean  old  man,  exhausted  by  his 
long  and  hurried  ride,  could  scarcely  hold  himself  on 
his  beast,  and  at  the  same  time  it  struck  him  that  this 
pitiable  old  man  was  the  husband  of  the  blooming  and 
youthful  Sirona,  Far  from  feeling  any  remorse  for  his 
intrusion  into  this  man's  "house,  he  yielded  entirely  to 
the  audacious  humor  with  which  his  aspect  filled  him, 
and  when  Phoebicius  himself  asked  him  as  to  whether 
he  had  not  met  on  his  way  with  a  fair-haired  woman 
and  a  limping  greyhound,  he  replied,  repressing  his 
laughter  with  difficulty: 

"Aye,  indeed!  I  did  see  such  a  woman  and  her 
dog,  but  I  do  not  think  it  was  lame." 


252  HOMO    SUM. 

"Where  did  you  see  her?"  asked  Phoebicius  hastily. 

Hermas  colored,  for  he  was  obliged  to  tell  an  un- 
truth, and  it  might  be  that  he  would  do  Sirona  an 
injury  by  giving  false  information.  He  therefore  ven- 
tured to  give  no  decided  answer,  but  enquired,  "  Has 
the  woman  committed  some  crime  that  you  are  pursu- 
ing her?" 

"A  great  one!"  replied  Talib,  "she  is  my  lord's 
wife,  and — " 

"What  she  has  done  wrong  concerns  me  alone,' 
said  Phcebicius,  sharply  interrupting  his  companion. 
"  I  hope  this  fellow  saw  better  than  you  who  took  the 
crying  woman  with  a  child,  from  Aila,  for  Sirona. 
What  is  your  name,  boy?" 

"Hermas,"  answered  the  lad.  "And  who  are  you, 
pray?" 

The  Gaul's  lips  were  parted  for  an  angry  reply,  but 
he  suppressed  it  and  said,  "  I  am  the  emperor's  centu- 
Tion,  and  I  ask  you,  what  did  the  woman  look  like 
whom  you  saw,  and  where  did  you  meet  her?" 

The  soldier's  fierce  looks,  and  his  captain's  words 
showed  Hermas  that  the  fugitive  woman  had  nothing 
good  to  expect  if  she  were  caught,  and  as  he  was  not 
in  the  least  inclined  to  assist  her  pursuers  he  hastily 
replied,  giving  the  reins  to  his  audacity,  "  I  at  any  rate 
did  not  meet  the  person  whom  you  seek;  the  woman  I 
saw  is  certainly  not  this  man's  wife,  for  she  might  very 
well  be  his  granddaughter.  She  had  gold  hair,  and  a 
rosy  face,  and  the  greyhound  that  followed  her  was 
called  Iambe." 

"  Where  did  you  meet  her?"  shrieked  the  centu- 
rion. 

"  In  the  fishing-village  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain," 


HOMO    SUM.  253 

replied  Hermas.  "  She  got  into  a  boat,  and  away  it 
went!" 

"Towards  the  north?"  asked  the  Gaul. 

UI  think  so,"  replied  Hermas,  "but  I  do  not  know, 
for  I  was  in  a  hurry,  and  could  not  look  after  her." 

"Then  we  will  try  to  take  her  in  Klysma,"  cried 
Phcebicius  to  the  Amalekite.  "If  only  there  were 
horses  in  this  accursed  desert!" 

"  It  is  four  days'  journey,"  said  Talib  considering. 
"And  beyond  Elim  there  is  no  water  before  the  Wells 
of  Moses.  Certainly  if  we  could  get  good  drome- 
daries— " 

"  And  if,"  interrupted  Hermas,  "it  were  not  better 
that  you,  my  lord  centurion,  should  not  go  so  far  from 
the  oasis.  For  over  there  they  say  that  the  Blemmyes 
are  gathering,  and  I  myself  am  going  across  as  a  spy 
so  soon  as  it  is  dark." 

Phcebicius  looked  down  gloomily  considering  the 
matter.  The  news  had  reached  him  too  that  the  sons 
of  the  desert  were  preparing  for  a  new  incursion,  and  he 
cried  to  Talib  angrily  but  decidedly,  as  he  turned  his 
back  upon  Hermas,  "You  must  ride  alone  to  Klysma, 
and  try  to  capture  her.  I*  cannot  and  will  not  neglect 
my  duty  for  the  sake  of  the  wretched  woman." 

Hermas  looked  after  him  as  he  went  away,  and 
laughed  out  loud  when  he  saw  him  disappear  into  his 
inn.  He  hired  a  boat  from  the  old  man  for  his  passage 
across  the  sea  for  one  of  the  gold  pieces  given  him  by 
Paulus,  and  lying  down  on  the  nets  he  refreshed  him- 
self by  a  deep  sleep  of  some  hours'  duration.  When 
the  moon  rose  he  was  roused  in  obedience  to  his  orders, 
and  helped  the  boy  who  accompanied  him,  and  who 
understood  the  management  of  the  sails  and  rudder,  to 


254  HOMO    SUM. 

push  the  boat,  which  was  laid  up  on  the  sand,  down  in- 
to the  sea.  Soon  he  was  flying  over  the  smooth  and 
glistening  waters  before  a  light  wind,  and  he  felt  as  fresh 
and  strong  in  spirit  as  a  young  eagle  that  has  just  left 
the  nest,  and  spreads  its  mighty  wings  for  the  first  time. 
He  could  have  shouted  in  his  new  and  delicious  sense 
of  freedom,  and  the  boy  at  the  stern  shook  his  head  in 
astonishment  when  he  saw  Hermas  wield  the  oars  he 
had  entrusted  to  him,  unskilfully  it  is  true,  but  with 
mighty  strokes. 

"The  wind  is  in  our  favor,"  he  called  out  to  the  an- 
chorite as  he  hauled  round  the  sail  with  the  rope  in  his 
hand,  "  we  shall  get  on  without  your  working  so  hard. 
You  may  save  your  strength." 

"There  is  plenty  of  it,  and  I  need  not  be  stingy  of 
it,"  answered  Hermas,  and  he  bent  forward  for  another 
powerful  stroke. 

About  half-way  he  took  a  rest,  and  admired  the  re- 
flection of  the  moon  in  the  bright  mirror  of  the  water, 
and  he  could  not  but  think  of  Petrus'  court-yard  that 
had  shone  in  the  same  silvery  light  when  he  had  climbed 
up  to  Sirona's  window.  The  image  of  the  fair,  white- 
armed  woman  recurred  to  his  mind,  and  a  melancholy 
longing  began  to  creep  over  him. 

He  sighed  softly,  again  and  yet  again;  but  as  his 
breast  heaved  for  the  third  bitter  sigh,  he  remembered 
the  object  of  his  journey  and  his  broken  fetters,  and 
with  eager  arrogance  he  struck  the  oar  flat  on  to  the 
water  so  that  it  spurted  high  up,  and  sprinkled  the  boat 
and  him  with  a  shower  of  wet  and  twinkling  diamond- 
drops.  He  began  to  work  the  oars  again,  reflecting  as 
he  did  so,  that  he  had  something  better  to  do  than  to 
think  of  a  woman.     Indeed,  he  found  it  easy  to  forget 


HOMO    SUM.  255 

Sirona  completely,  for  in  the  next  few  days  he  went 
through  every  excitement  of  a  warrior's  life. 

Scarcely  two  hours  after  his  start  from  Raithu  he 
was  standing  on  the  soil  of  another  continent,  and,  after 
finding  a  hiding-place  for  his  boat,  he  slipped  off  among 
the  hills  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Blemmyes. 
The  very  first  day  he  went  up  to  the  valley  in  which 
they  were  gathering;  on  the  second,  after  being  many 
times  seen  and  pursued,  he  succeeded  in  seizing  a  war- 
rior who  had  been  sent  out  to  reconnoitre,  and  in  carry- 
ing him  off  with  him;  he  bound  him,  and  by  heavy 
threats  learned  many  things  from  him. 

The  number  of  their  collected  enemies  was  great, 
but  Hermas  had  hopes  of  outstripping  them,  for  his 
prisoner  revealed  to  him  the  spot  where  their  boats, 
drawn  up  on  shore,  lay  hidden  under  sand  and  stones. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dusk,  the  anchorite  in  his  boat 
went  towards  the  place  of  embarkation,  and  when  the 
Blemmyes,  in  the  darkness  of  midnight,  drew  their  first 
bark  into  the  water,  Hermas  sailed  off  ahead  of  the 
enemy,  landed  in  much  danger  below  the  western  de- 
clivity of  the  mountain,  and  hastened  up  towards  Sinai 
to  warn  the  Pharanite  watchmen  on  the  beacon. 

He  gained  the  top  of  the  difficult  peak  before  sun- 
rise, roused  the  lazy  sentinels  who  had  left  their  posts, 
and  before  they  were  able  to  mount  guard,  to  hoist  the 
flags  or  to  begin  to  sound  the  brazen  cymbals,  he  had 
hurried  on  down  the  valley  to  his  father's  cave. 

Since  his  disappearance  Miriam  had  incessantly 
hovered  round  Stephanus'  dwelling,  and  had  fetched 
fresh  water  for  the  old  man  every  morning,  noon  and 
evening,  even  after  a  new  nurse,  who  was  clumsier  and 
more  peevish,  had  taken  Paulus'  place.     She  lived  on 


256  HOMO    SUM. 

roots,  and  on  the  bread  the  sick  man  gave  her,  and  at 
night  she  lay  down  to  sleep  in  a  deep  dry  cleft  of  the 
rock  that  she  had  long  known  well.  She  quitted  her 
hard  bed  before  daybreak  to  refill  the  old  man's 
pitcher,  and  to  chatter  to  him  about  Hermas. 

She  was  a  willing  servant  to  Stephanus  because  as 
often  as  she  went  to  him,  she  could  hear  his  son's  name 
from  his  lips,  and  he  rejoiced  at  her  coming  because 
she  always  gave  him  the  opportunity  of  talking  of 
Hermas. 

For  many  weeks  the  sick  man  had  been  so  accus- 
tomed to  let  himself  be  waited  on  that  he  accepted  the 
shepherdess's  good  offices  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
she  never  attempted  to  account  to  herself  for  her  readi- 
ness to  serve  him.  Stephanus  would  have  suffered  in 
dispensing  with  her,  and  to  her,  her  visits  to  the  well 
and  her  conversations  with  the  old  man  had  become  a 
need,  nay  a  necessity,  for  she  still  was  ignorant  whether 
Hermas  was  yet  alive,  or  whether  Phoebicius  had 
killed  him  in  consequence  of  her  betrayal.  Perhaps  all 
that  Stephanus  told  her  of  his  son's  journey  of  investi- 
gation was  an  invention  of  Paulus  to  spare  the  sick 
man,  and  accustom  him  gradually  to  the  loss  of  his 
child;  and  yet  she  was  only  too  willing  to  believe  that 
Hermas  still  lived,  and  she  quitted  the  neighborhood 
of  the  cave  as  late  as  possible,  and  filled  the  sick  man's 
water-jar  before  the  sun  was  up,  only  because  she  said 
to  herself  that  the  fugitive  on  his  return  would  seek  no 
one  else  so  soon  as  his  father. 

She  had  not  one  really  quiet  moment,  for  if  a  falling 
stone,  an  approaching  footstep,  or  the  cry  of  a  beast 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  desert  she  at  once  hid  herself, 
and  listened  with  a  beating  heart;  much  less  from  fear  of 


HOMO    SUM.  257 

Petrus  her  master,  from  whom  she  had  run  away,  than 
in  the  expectation  of  hearing  the  step  of  the  man  whom 
she  had  betrayed  into  the  hand  of  his  enemy,  and  for 
whom  she  nevertheless  painfully  longed  day  and  night. 

As  often  as  she  lingered  by  the  spring  she  wetted 
her  stubborn  hair  to  smooth  it,  and  washed  her  face 
with  as  much  zeal  as  if  she  thought  she  should  succeed 
in  washing  the  dark  hue  out  of  her  skin.  And  all  this 
she  did  for  him,  that  on  his  return  she  might  charm  him 
as  much  as  the  white  woman  in  the  oasis,  whom  she 
hated  as  fiercely  as  she  loved  him  passionately. 

During  the  heavy  storm  of  last  night  a  torrent  from 
the  mountain-height  had  shed  itself  into  her  retreat  and 
had  driven  her  out  of  it.  Wet  through,  shelterless,  tor- 
mented by  remorse,  fear  and  longing,  she  had  clambered 
from  stone  to  stone,  and  sought  refuge  and  peace  under 
first  one  rock  and  then  another;  thus  she  had  been 
attracted  by  the  glimmer  of  light  that  shone  out  of  the 
new  dwelling  of  the  pious  Paulus;  she  had  seen  and 
recognized  the  Alexandrian,  but  he  had  not  observed 
her  as  he  cowered  on  the  ground  near  his  hearth  deeply 
sunk  in  thought. 

She  knew  now  where  the  excommunicated  man 
dwelt  after  whom  Stephanus  often  asked,  and  she  had 
gathered  from  the  old  man's  lamentations  and  dark 
hints,  that  Paulus  too  had  been  ensnared  and  brought 
to  ruin  by  her  enemy. 

As  the  morning-star  began  to  pale  Miriam  went  up 
to  Stephanus'  cave;  her  heart  was  full  of  tears,  and  yet 
she  was  unable  to  pour  out  her  need  and  suffering  in  a 
soothing  flood  of  weeping;  she  was  wholly  possessed 
with  a  wild  desire  to  sink  down  on  the  earth  there  and 
die,  and  to  be  released  by  death  from  her  relentless, 


250  HOMO    SUM. 

driving  torment.  But  it  was  still  too  early  to  disturb 
the  old  man — and  yet — she  must  hear  a  human  voice, 
one  word — even  if  it  were  a  hard  word — from  the  lips 
of  a  human  being;  for  the  bewildering  feeling  of  dis- 
traction which  confused  her  mind,  and  the  misery  of 
abandonment  that  crushed  her  heart,  were  all  too 
cruelly  painful  to  be  borne. 

She  was  standing  by  the  entrance  to  the  cave  when, 
high  above  her  head,  she  heard  the  falling  of  stones  and 
the  cry  of  a  human  voice.  She  started  and  listened 
with  out-stretched  neck  and  strung  sinews,  motionless. 
Then  she  broke  suddenly  into  a  loud  and  piercing 
shout  of  joy,  and  flinging  up  her  arms  she  flew  up  the 
mountain  towards  a  traveller  who  came  swiftly  down 
to  meet  her. 

"Hennas!  Hernias!"  she  shouted,  and  all  the  sunny 
delight  of  her  heart  was  reflected  in  her  cry  so  clearly 
and  purely  that  the  sympathetic  chords  in  the  young 
man's  soul  echoed  the  sound,  and  he  hailed  her  with 
joyful  welcome. 

He  had  never  before  greeted  her  thus,  and  the  tone 
of  his  voice  revived  her  poor  crushed  heart  like  a  re- 
storative draught  offered  by  a  tender  hand  to  the  lips  of 
the  dying.  Exquisite  delight,  and  a  glow  of  gratitude 
such  as  she  had  never  before  felt  flooded  her  soul,  and 
as  he  was  so  good  to  her  she  longed  to  show  him  that 
she  had  something  to  offer  in  return  for  the  gift  of 
friendship  which  he  offered  her.  So  the  first  thing  she 
said  to  him  was,  "I  have  staid  constantly  near  your 
father,  and  have  brought  him  water  early  and  late,  as 
much  as  he  needed." 

She  blushed  as  she  thus  for  the  first  time  praised 
herself  to  him,  but  Hermas  exclaimed,  "That  is  a  good 


HOMO    SUM.  „  259 

girl!  and  I  will  not  forget  it.  You  are  a  wild,  silly- 
thing,  but  I  believe  that  you  ar*e  to  be  relied  on  by 
those  to  whom  you  feel  kindly." 

"  Only  try  me,"  cried  Miriam  holding  out  her  hand 
to  him.  He  took  it,  and  as  they  went  on  together  he 
said: 

"  Do  you  hear  the  brass  ?  I  have  warned  the  watch- 
men up  there;  the  Blemmyes  are  coming.  Is  Paulus 
with  my  father  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  know  where  he  is." 

"Then  you  must  call  him,"  said  the  young  man. 
"  Him  first  and  then  Gelasius,  and  Psoes,  and  Dulas, 
and  any  more  of  the  penitents  that  you  can  find.  They 
must  all  go  to  the  castle  by  the  ravine.  Now  I  will  go 
to  my  father;  you  hurry  on  and  show  that  you  are  to 
be  trusted."  As  he  spoke  he  put  his  arm  round  her 
waist,  but  she  slipped  shyly  away,  and  calling  out,  "  I 
will  take  them  all  the  message,"  she  hurried  off. 

In  front  of  the  cave  where  she  had  hoped  to  meet 
with  Paulus  she  found  Sirona;  she  did  not  stop  with 
her,  but  contented  herself  with  laughing  wildly  and  call- 
ing out  words  of  abuse. 

Guided  by  the  idea  that  she  should  find  the  Alexan- 
drian at  the  nearest  well,  she  went  on  and  called  him, 
then  hurrying  on  from  cave  to  cave  she  delivered  her 
message  in  Hernias'  name,  happy  to  serve  him. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

They  were  all  collected  behind  the  rough  wall  on 
the  edge  of  the   ravine — the  strange  men    who   had 


260  HOMO    SUM. 

turned  their  back  on  life  with  all  its  joys  and  pains,  its 
duties  and  its  delights,  on  the  community  and  family 
to  which  they  belonged,  and  had  fled  to  the  desert, 
there  to  strive  for  a  prize  above  and  beyond  this  life, 
when  they  had  of  their  own  free-will  renounced  all  other 
effort.  In  the  voiceless  desert,  far  from  the  enticing 
echoes  of  the  world,  it  might  be  easy  to  kill  every  sen- 
sual impulse,  to  throw  off  the  fetters  of  the  world,  and 
so  bring  that  humanity,  which  was  bound  to  the  dust 
through  sin  and  the  flesh,  nearer  to  the  pure  and  incor- 
porate being  of  the  Divinity. 

All  these  men  were  Christians,  and,  like  the  Saviour 
who  had  freely  taken  torments  upon  Himself  to  become 
the  Redeemer,  they  too  sought  through  the  purifying 
power  of  suffering  to  free  themselves  from  the  dross  of 
their  impure  human  nature,  and  by  severe  penance  to 
contribute  their  share  of  atonement  for  their  own  guilt, 
and  for  that  of  all  their  race.  No  fear  of  persecution 
had  driven  them  into  the  desert — nothing  but  the  hope 
of  gaining  the  hardest  of  victories. 

All  the  anchorites  who  had  been  summoned  to  the 
tower  were  Egyptians  and  Syrians,  and  among  the 
former  particularly  there  were  many  who,  being  already 
inured  to  abstinence  and  penance  in  the  service  of  the 
old  gods  in  their  own  country,  now  as  Christians  had 
selected  as  the  scene  of  their  pious  exercises  the  very 
spot  where  the  Lord  must  have  revealed  Himself  to  his 
elect. 

At  a  later  date  not  merely  Sinai  itself  but  the  whole 
tract  of  Arabia  Petraea — through  which,  as  it  was  said, 
the  Jews  at  their  exodus  under  Moses  had  wandered — 
was  peopled  with  ascetics  of  like  mind,  who  gave  to 
their  settlements  the  names  of  the  resting-places  of  the 


HOMO    SUM.  26l 

chosen  people,  as  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures;  but  as 
yet  there  was  no  connection  between  the  individual 
penitents,  no  order  ruled  their  lives;  they  might  still  be 
counted  by  tens,  though  ere  long  they  numbered  hun- 
dreds and  thousands. 

The  threat  of  danger  had  brought  all  these  contem- 
ners of  the  world  and  of  life  in  stormy  haste  to  the 
shelter  of  the  tower,  in  spite  of  their  readiness  to  die. 
Only  old  Kosmas,  who  had  withdrawn  to  the  desert 
with  his  wife — she  had  found  a  grave  there — had  re- 
mained in  his  cave,  and  had  declared  to  Gelasius,  who 
shared  his  cave  and  who  had  urged  him  to  flight,  that 
he  was  content  in  whatever  place  or  whatever  hour  the 
Lord  should  call  him,  and  that  it  was  in  God's  hands 
to  decide  whether  old  age  or  an  arrow-shot  should 
open  to  him  the  gates  of  heaven. 

It  was  quite  otherwise  with  the  rest  of  the  ancho- 
rites, who  rushed  through  the  narrow  door  of  the  watch- 
tower  and  into  its  inner  room  till  it  was  filled  to  over- 
flowing, and  Paulus,  who  in  the  presence  of  danger 
had  fully  recovered  his  equanimity,  was  obliged  to  re- 
fuse admission  to  a  new-comer  in  order  to  preserve  the 
closely  packed  and  trembling  crowd  from  injury. 

No  murrain  passes  from  beast  to  beast,  no  mildew 
from  fruit  to  fruit  with  such  rapidity  as  fear  spreads 
from  man  to  man.  Those  who  had  been  driven  by  the 
sharpest  lashings  of  terror  had  run  the  fastest,  and 
reached  the  castle  first.  They  had  received  those  who 
followed  them  with  lamentation  and  outcries,  and  it 
was  a  pitiable  sight  to  see  how  the  terrified  crowd,  in 
the  midst  of  their  loud  declarations  of  resignation  to 
God's  guidance  and  their  pious  prayers,  wrung  their 
hands,  and   at  the  same   time   how  painfully  anxious 


262  HOMO   SUM. 

each  one  was  to  hide  the  little  property  he  had  saved 
first  from  the  disapproval  of  his  companions,  and  then 
from  the  covetousness  of  the  approaching  enemy. 

With  Paulus  came  Sergius  and  Jeremias  to  whom,, 
on  the  way,  he  had  spoken  words  of  encouragement. 
All  three  did  their  utmost  to  revive  the  confidence  of 
the  terrified  men,  and  when  the  Alexandrian  reminded 
them  how  zealously  each  of  them  only  a  few  weeks 
since  had  helped  to  roll  the  blocks  and  stones  from  the 
wall,  and  down  the  precipice,  so  as  to  crush  and  slay 
the  advancing  enemy  the  feeling  was  strong  in  many 
of  them  that,  as  he  had  already  proved  himself  worthy 
in  defence,  it  was  due  to  him  now  to  make  him  their 
leader. 

The  number  of  the  men  who  rushed  out  of  the 
tower  was  increasing,  and  when  Hermas  appeared  with 
his  father  on  his  back  and  followed  by  Miriam,  and 
when  Paulus  exhorted  his  companions  to  be  edified  by 
this  pathetic  picture  of  filial  love,  curiosity  tempted  even 
the  last  loiterers  in  the  tower  out  into  the  open  space. 

The  Alexandrian  sprang  over  the  wall,  went  up  to 
Stephanus,  lifted  him  from  the  shoulders  of  the  panting 
youth  and,  taking  him  on  his  own,  carried  him  towards 
the  tower;  but  the  old  warrior  refused  to  enter  the 
place  of  refuge,  and  begged  his  friend  to  lay  him  down 
by  the  wall.  Paulus  obeyed  his  wish  and  then  went 
with  Hermas  to  the  top  of  the  tower  to  spy  the  distance 
from  thence. 

As  soon  as  he  had  quitted  him,  Stephanus  turned  to 
the  anchorites  who  stood  near  him,  saying,  "These 
stones  are  loose,  and  though  my  strength  is  indeed 
small  still  it  is  great  enough  to  send  one  of  them  over 
with  a  push.     If  it  comes  to  a  battle  my  old  soldier's 


HOMO    SUM.  263 

eyes,  dim  as  they  are  now,  may  with  the  help  of  yours 
see  many  things  that  may  be  useful  to  you  young  ones; 
Above  all  things,  if  the  game  is  to  be  a  hot  one  for  the 
robbers,  one  must  command  here  whom  the  others  will 
obey." 

"It  shall  be  you,  father,"  interrupted  Salathiel  the 
Syrian.  "You  have  served  in  Caesar's  army,  and  you 
proved  your  courage  and  knowledge  of  war  in  the  last 
raid.     You  shall  command  us." 

Stephanus  sadly  shook  his  head  and  replied,  "  My 
voice  is  become  too  weak  and  low  since  this  wound  in 
my  breast  and  my  long  illness.  Not  even  those  who 
stand  nearest  to  me  would  understand  me  in  the  noise 
of  battle.  Let  Paulus  be  your  captain,  for  he  is  strong, 
cautious  and  brave." 

Many  of  the  anchorites  had  long  looked  upon  the 
Alexandrian  as  their  best  stay;  for  many  years  he  had 
enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  and  on  a  thousand  occasions 
had  given  proof  of  his  strength  and  presence  of  mind, 
but  at  this  proposal  they  looked  at  each  other  in  sur- 
prise, doubt  and  disapproval. 

Stephanus  saw  what  was  passing  in  their  minds. 

" It  is  true  he  has  erred  gravely,"  he  said.  "And 
before  God  he  is  the  least  of  the  least  among  us;  but  in 
animal  strength  and  indomitable  courage  he  is  superior 
to  you  all.  Which  of  you  would  be  willing  to  take  his 
place,  if  you  reject  his  guidance." 

"  Orion  the  Saite,"  cried  one  of  the  anchorites,  "  is 
tall  and  strong.     If  he  would — " 

But  Orion  eagerly  excused  himself  from  assuming 
the  dangerous  office,  and  when  Andreas  and  Joseph 
also  refused  with  no  less  decision  the  leadership  that 
was  offered  them,  Stephanus  said: 


264  HOMO    SUM. 

"You  see  there  is  no  choice  left  us  but  to  beg  the 
Alexandrian  to  command  us  here  so  long  as  the  robbers 
threaten  us,  and  no  longer.  There  he  comes — shall  I 
ask  him?" 

A  murmur  of  consent,  though  by  no  means  of 
satisfaction,  answered  the  old  man,  and  Paulus, 
quite  carried  away  by  his  eagerness  to  stake  his 
life  and  blood  for  the  protection  of  the  weak,  and 
fevered  with  a  soldier's  ardor,  accepted  Stephanus' 
commission  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  set  to  work 
like  a  general  to  organize  the  helpless  wearers  of 
sheepskin. 

Some  he  sent  to  the  top  of  the  tower  to  keep  watch, 
others  he  charged  with  the  transport  of  the  stones;  to 
a  third  party  he  entrusted  the  duty  of  hurling  pieces  of 
rock  and  blocks  of  stone  down  into  the  abyss  in  the 
moment  of  danger;  he  requested  the  weaker  brethren 
to  assemble  themselves  together,  to  pray  for  the  others 
and  to  sing  hymns  of  praise,  and  he  concerted  signs 
and  passwords  with  all;  he  was  now  here,  now  there, 
and  his  energy  and  confidence  infused  themselves  even 
into  the  faint-hearted. 

In  the  midst  of  these  arrangements  Hermas  took 
leave  of  him  and  of  his  father,  for  he  heard  the  Roman 
war-trumpets  and  the  drums  of  the  young  manhood  of 
Pharan,  as  they  marched  through  the  short  cut  to  meet 
the  enemy.  He  knew  where  the  main  strength  of  the 
Blemmyes  lay  and  communicated  this  knowledge  to  the 
Centurion  Phoebicius  and  the  captain  of  the  Pharanites. 
The  Gaul  put  a  few  short  questions  to  Hermas,  whom 
he  recognized  immediately,  for  since  he  had  met  him  at 
the  harbor  of  Ra'ithu  he  could  not  forget  his  eyes,  which 
reminded  him  of  those  of  Glycera;  and  after  receiving 


HOMO    SUM.  265 

his  hasty  and  decided  answers  he  issued  rapid  and  pru- 
dent orders. 

A  third  of  the  Pharanites  were  to  march  forward 
against  the  enemy,  drumming  and  trumpeting,  and  then 
retreat  as  far  as  the  watch-tower  as  the  enemy  approach- 
ed over  the  plain.  If  the  Blemmyes  allowed  themselves 
to  be  tempted  thither,  a  second  third  of  the  warriors  of 
the  oasis,  that  could  easily  lie  in  ambush  in  a  cross- 
valley,  were  to  fall  on  their  left  flank,  while  Phcebicius 
and  his  maniple — hidden  behind  the  rock  on  which  the 
castle  stood — would  suddenly  rush  out  and  so  decide 
the  battle.  The  last  third  of  the  Pharanites  had  orders 
to  destroy  the  ships  of  the  invaders  under  the  command 
of  Hermas,  who  knew  the  spot  where  they  had  landed. 

In  the  worst  case  the  centurion  and  his  men  could 
retreat  into  the  castle,  and  there  defend  themselves  till 
the  warriors  of  the  nearest  seaports — whither  messengers 
were  already  on  their  way — should  come  to  the  rescue. 

The  Gaul's  orders  were  immediately  obeyed,  and 
Hermas  walked  at  the  head  of  the  division  entrusted  to 
him,  as  proud  and  as  self-possessed  as  any  of  Caesar's 
veterans  leading  his  legion  into  the  field.  He  carried 
a  bow  and  arrows  at  his  back,  and  in  his  hand  a  battle- 
axe  that  he  had  bought  at  Ra'ithu. 

Miriam  attempted  to  follow  the  troops  he  was  lead- 
ing, but  he  observed  her,  and  called  out,  "Go  up  to 
the  fort,  child,  to  my  father."  And  the  shepherdess 
obeyed  without  hesitation. 

The  anchorites  had  all  crowded  to  the  edge  of  the 
precipice,  they  looked  at  the  division  of  the  forces,  and 
signed  and  shouted  down.  They  had  hoped  that  some 
part  of  the  fighting  men  would  be  joined  to  them  for 
their  defence,  but,  as  they  soon  learned,  they  had  hoped 


266  HOMO    SUM. 

in  vain.  Stephanus,  whose  feeble  sight  could  not  reach 
so  far  as  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  declivity,  made 
Paulus  report  to  him  all  that  was  going  on  there,  and 
with  the  keen  insight  of  a  soldier  he  comprehended  the 
centurion's  plan.  The  troop  led  by  Hermas  passed  by 
below  the  tower,  and  the  youth  waved  and  shouted  a 
greeting  up  to  his  father.  Stephanus,  whose  hearing 
remained  sharper  than  his  sight,  recognized  his  son's 
voice  and  took  leave  of  him  with  tender  and  loving 
words  in  as  loud  a  voice  as  he  could  command. 
Paulus  collected  all  the  overflow  of  the  old  man's  heart 
in  one  sentence,  and  called  out  his  blessings  through 
his  two  hands  as  a  speaking-trumpet,  after  his  friend's 
son  as  he  departed  to  battle.  Hermas  understood ;  but 
deeply  as  he  was  touched  by  this  farewell  he  answered 
only  by  dumb  signs.  A  father  can  find  a  hundred 
words  of  blessing  sooner  than  a  son  can  find  one  of 
thanks. 

As  the  youth  disappeared  behind  the  rocks,  Paulus 
said,  "He  marches  on  like  an  experienced  soldier,  and 
the  others  follow  him  as  sheep  follow  a  ram.  But 
hark! — Certainly — the  foremost  division  of  the  Phara- 
nites  and  the  enemy  have  met.  The  outcry  comes 
nearer  and  nearer." 

"Then  all  will  be  well,"  cried  Stephanus  excitedly. 
"  If  they  only  take  the  bait  and  let  themselves  be  drawn 
on  to  the  plateau  I  think  they  are  lost.  From  here  we 
can  watch  the  whole  progress  of  the  battle,  and  if  our 
side  are  driven  back  it  may  easily  happen  that  they  will 
throw  themselves  into  the  castle.  Now  not  a  pebble 
must  be  thrown  in  vain,  for  if  our  tower  becomes  the 
central  point  of  the  struggle  the  defenders  will  need 
stones  to  fling." 


HOMO    SUM.  267 

These  words  were  heard  by  several  of  the  ancho- 
rites, and  as  now  the  war-cries  and  the  noise  of  the 
fight  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  one  and  another 
repeated  to  each  other  that  their  place  of  refuge  would 
become  the  centre  of  the  combat,  the  frightened  peni- 
tents quitted  the  posts  assigned  to  them  by  Paulus,  ran 
hither  and  thither  in  spite  of  the  Alexandrian's  severe 
prohibition,  and  most  of  them  at  last  joined  the  com- 
pany of  the  old  and  feeble,  whose  psalms  grew  more  and 
more  lamentable  as  danger  pressed  closer  upon  them. 

Loudest  of  all  was  the  wailing  of  the  Sa'ite  Orion 
who  cried  with  uplifted  hands,  "What  wilt  Thou  of  us 
miserable  creatures,  O  Lord  ?  When  Moses  left  Thy 
chosen  people  on  this  very  spot  for  only  forty  days, 
they  at  once  fell  away  from  Thee;  and  we,  we  without 
any  leader  have  spent  all  our  life  in  Thy  service,  and 
have  given  up  all  that  can  rejoice  the  heart,  and  have 
taken  every  kind  of  suffering  upon  us  to  please  Theel 
and  now  these  hideous  heathen  are  surging  round  us 
again,  and  will  kill  us.  Is  this  the  reward  of  victory 
for  our  striving  and  our  long  wrestling?" 

The  rest  joined  in  the  lamentation  of  the  Sa'ite,  but 
Paulus  stepped  into  their  midst,  blamed  them  for  their 
cowardice,  and  with  warm  and  urgent  speech  implored 
them  to  return  to  their  posts  so  that  the  wall  might  be 
guarded  at  least  on  the  eastern  and  more  accessible 
side,  and  that  the  castle  might  not  fall  an  easy  prey 
into  the  hands  of  an  enemy  from  whom  no  quarter  was 
to  be  expected.  Some  of  the  anchorites  were  already 
proceeding  to  obey  the  Alexandrian's  injunction,  when 
a  fearful  cry,  the  war-cry  of  the  Blemmyes  who  were  in 
pursuit  of  the  Pharanites,  rose  from  the  foot  of  their 
rock  of  refuge. 


268  HOMO    SUM. 

They  crowded  together  again  in  terror;  Salathiel 
the  Syrian,  had  ventured  to  the  edge  of  the  abyss,  and 
had  looked  over  old  Stephanus'  shoulder  down  into  the 
hollow,  and  when  he  rushed  back  to  his  companions, 
crying  in  terror,  "Our  men  are  flying!"  Gelasius 
shrieked  aloud,  beat  his  breast,  and  tore  his  rough  black 
hair,  crying  out: 

"  O  Lord  God,  what  wilt  Thou  of  us  ?  Is  it  vain 
then  to  strive  after  righteousness  and  virtue  that  Thou 
givest  us  over  unto  death,  and  dost  not  fight  for  us  ? 
If  we  are  overcome  by  the  heathen,  ungodliness  and 
brute  force  will  boast  themselves  as  though  they  had 
won  the  victory  over  righteousness  and  truth ! " 

Paulus  had  turned  from  the  lamenting  hermits,  per- 
plexed and  beside  himself,  and  stood  with  Stephanus 
watching  the  fight. 

The  Blemmyes  had  come  in  great  numbers,  and 
their  attack,  before  which  the  Pharanites  were  to  have 
retired  as  a  feint,  fell  with  such  force  upon  the  foremost 
division  that  they  and  their  comrades,  who  had  rushed 
to  their  aid  on  the  plateau,  were  unable  to  resist  it,  and 
were  driven  back  as  far  as  the  spot  where  the  ravine 
narrowed. 

"Things  are  not  as  they  should  be,"  said  Stephanus. 

"And  the  cowardly  band,  like  a  drove  of  cattle," 
cried  Paulus  in  a  fury,  "  leave  the  walls  unprotected, 
and  blaspheme  God  instead  of  watching  or  fighting." 

The  anchorites  noticed  his  gestures,  which  were  in- 
deed those  of  a  desperate  man,  and  Sergius  exclaimed: 

"Are  we  then  wholly  abandoned?  Why  does  not 
the  thorn-bush  light  its  fires,  and  destroy  the  evil-doers 
with  its  flames  ?  Why  is  the  thunder  silent,  and  where 
are  the  lightnings  that  played  round  the  peak  of  Sinai? 


HOMO    SUM.  269 

Why  does  not  darkness  fall  upon  us  to  affright  the  hea- 
then ?  Why  does  not  the  earth  open  her  mouth  to 
swallow  them  up  like  the  company  of  Korah  ?  " 

"  The  Might  of  God,"  cried  Dulas,  "  tarries  too  long. 
The  Lord  must  set  our  piety  in  a  doubtful  light,  for  He 
treats  us  as  though  we  were  unworthy  of  all  care." 

"And  that  you  are!"  exclaimed  Paulus,  who  had 
heard  the  last  words,  and  who  was  dragging  rather  than 
leading  the  feeble  Stephanus  to  the  unguarded  eastern 
wall.  "  That  you  are,  for  instead  of  resisting  His  enemies 
you  blaspheme  God,  and  disgrace  yourself  by  your  mis- 
erable cowardice.  Look  at  this  sick  old  man  who  is 
prepared  to  defend  you,  and  obey  my  orders  without  a 
murmur,  or,  by  the  holy  martyrs,  I  will  drag  you  to 
your  posts  by  your  hair  and  ears,  and  will — " 

But  he  ceased  speaking,  for  his  threats  were  inter- 
rupted by  a  powerful  voice  which  called  his  name  from 
the  foot  of  the  wall. 

"  That  is  Agapitus,"  exclaimed  Stephanus.  "  Lead 
me  to  the  wall,  and  set  me  down  there." 

Before  Paulus  could  accede  to  his  friend's  wish  the 
tall  form  of  the  bishop  was  standing  by  his  side. 

Agapitus  the  Cappadocian  had  in  his  youth  been  a 
warrior;  he  had  hardly  passed  the  limits  of  middle  age, 
and  was  a  vigilant  captain  of  his  congregation.  When 
all  the  youth  of  Pharan  had  gone  forth  to  meet  the 
Blemmyes,  he  had  no  peace  in  the  oasis,  and,  after  en- 
joining on  the  presbyters  and  deacons  that  they  should 
pray  in  the  church  for  the  fighting  men  with  the  women 
and  the  men  who  remained  behind,  he  himself,  accom- 
panied by  a  guide  and  two  acolytes,  had  gone  up  the 
mountain  to  witness  the  battle. 

To  the  other  priests  and  his  wife  who  sought  to  de- 


270  HOMO    SUM. 

tain  him,  he  had  answered,  "Where  the  flock  is  there 
should  the  shepherd  be!" 

Unseen  and  unheard  he  had  gained  the  castle-wall 
and  had  been  a  witness  to  Paulus'  vehement  speech. 
He  now  stood  opposite  the  Alexandrian  with  rolling 
eyes,  and  threateningly  lifted  his  powerful  hand  as  he 
•called  out  to  him  : 

"  And  dare  an  outcast  speak  thus  to  his  brethren  ? 
"Will  the  champion  of  Satan  give  orders  to  the  soldiers 
of  the  Lord  ?  It  would  indeed  be  a  joy  to  you  if  by 
your  strong  arm  you  could  win  back  the  good  name 
that  your  soul,  crippled  by  sin  and  guilt,  has  flung 
away.  Come  on,  my  friends !  the  Lord  is  with  us  and 
will  help  us." 

Paulus  had  let  the  bishop's  words  pass  over  him  in 
silence,  and  raised  his  hands  like  the  other  anchorites 
when  Agapitus  stepped  into  their  midst,  and  uttered  a 
short  and  urgent  prayer. 

After  the  "Amen"  the  bishop  pointed  out,  like  a 
general,  to  each  man,  even  to  the  feeble  and  aged,  his 
place  by  the  wall  or  behind  the  stones  for  throwing,  and 
then  cried  out  with  a  clear  ringing  voice  that  sounded 
above  all  other  noise,  "  Show  to-day  that  you  are  in- 
deed soldiers  of  the  Most  High." 

Not  one  rebelled,  and  when  man  by  man  each  had 
placed  himself  at  his  post,  he  went  to  the  precipice  and 
looked  attentively  down  at  the  fight  that  was  raging 
below. 

The  Pharanites  were  now  opposing  the  attack  of 
the  Blemmyes  with  success,  for  Phcebicius,  rushing  for- 
ward with  his  men  from  their  ambush,  had  fallen  upon 
the  compact  mass  of  the  sons  of  the  desert  in  flank  and, 
spreading  death  and  ruin,  had  divided  them  into  two 


HOMO    SUM.  271 

bodies.  The  well-trained  and  well-armed  Romans 
seemed  to  have  an  easy  task  with  their  naked  oppo- 
nents, who,  in  a  hand  to  hand  fight,  could  not  avail 
themselves  of  either  their  arrows  or  their  spears.  But 
the  Blemmyes  had  learned  to  use  their  strength  in  fre- 
quent battles  with  the  imperial  troops,  and  so  soon  as 
they  perceived  that  they  were  no  match  for  their  ene- 
mies in  pitched  battle,  their  leaders  set  up  a  strange 
shrill  cry,  their  ranks  dissolved,  and  they  dispersed  in 
all  directions,  like  a  heap  of  feathers  strewn  by  a  gust  of 
wind. 

Agapitus  took  the  hasty  disappearance  of  the  enemy 
for  wild  flight,  he  sighed  deeply  and  thankfully  and 
turned  to  go  down  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  to  speak 
consolation  to  his  wounded  fellow-Christians. 

But  in  the  castle  itself  he  found  opportunity  for  ex- 
ercising his  pious  office,  for  before  him  stood  the  shep- 
herdess whom  he  had  already  observed  on  his  arrival 
and  she  said  with  much  embarrassment,  but  clearly  and 
quickly,  "  Old  Stephanus  there,  my  lord  bishop — Her- 
mas'  father  for  whom  I  carry  water — bids  me  ask  you 
to  come  to  him,  for  his  wound  has  reopened  and  he 
thinks  his  end  is  near." 

Agapitus  immediately  obeyed  this  call ;  he  went 
with  hasty  steps  towards  the  sick  man,  whose  wound 
Paulus  and  Orion  had  already  bound  up,  and  greeted 
him  with  a  familiarity  that  he  was  far  from  showing  to 
the  other  penitents.  He  had  long  known  the  former 
name  and  the  fate  of  Stephanus,  and  it  was  by  his  ad- 
vice that  Hermas  had  been  obliged  to  join  the  deputa- 
tion sent  to  Alexandria,  for  Agapitus  was  of  opinion 
that  no  one  ought  to  flee  from  the  battle  of  life  without 
having  first  taken  some  part  in  it. 


272  HOMO    SUM. 

Stephanus  put  out  his  hand  to  the  bishop  who  sat 
down  beside  him,  signed  to  the  bystanders  to  leave  them 
alone,  and  listened  attentively  to  the  feeble  words  of 
the  sufferer.  When  he  had  ceased  speaking,  Agapitus 
said: 

"  I  praise  the  Lord  with  you  for  having  permitted 
your  lost  wife  to  find  the  ways  that  lead  to  Him,  and 
your  son  will  be — as  you  were  once — a  valiant  man  of 
war.  Your  earthly  house  is  set  in  order,  but  are  you 
prepared  for  the  other,  the  everlasting  mansion  ?  " 

"For  eighteen  years  I  have  done  penance,  and 
prayed,  and  borne  great  sufferings,"  answered  the  sick 
man.  "The  world  lies  far  behind  me,  and  I  hope  I 
am  walking  in  the  path  that  leads  to  heaven." 

"  So  do  I  hope  for  you  and  for  your  soul,"  said  the 
bishop.  "That  which  it  is  hardest  to  endure  has  fallen 
to  your  lot  in  this  world,  but  have  you  striven  to  forgive 
those  who  did  you  the  bitterest  wrong,  and  can  you 
pray,  '  Forgive  us  our  sins  as  we  forgive  them  that  sin 
against  us?'  Do  you  remember  the  words,  'If  ye  for- 
give men  their  trespasses  your  heavenly  father  will  also 
forgive  you?"' 

"  Not  only  have  I  pardoned  Glycera,"  answered 
Stephanus,  "  but  I  have  taken  her  again  into  my  heart 
of  hearts;  but  the  man  who  basely  seduced  her,  the 
wretch,  who  although  I  had  done  him  a  thousand  ben- 
efits, betrayed  me,  robbed  me  and  dishonored  me,  I 
wish  him — " 

"  Forgive  him,"  cried  Agapitus,  "  as  you  would  be 
forgiven." 

"I  have  striven  these  eighteen  years  to  bless  my 
enemy,"  replied  Stephanus,  "  and  I  will  still  continue  to 
strive — " 


HOMO    SUM.  273 

Up  to  this  moment  the  bishop  had  devoted  his 
whole  attention  to  the  sick  anchorite,  but  he  was  now 
called  on  all  .sides  at  once,  and  Gelasius,  who  was  stand- 
ing by  the  declivity  with  some  other  anchorites,  called 
out  to  him,  "Father — save  us — the  heathen  there  are 
climbing  up  the  rocks." 

Agapitus  signed  a  blessing  over  Stephanus  and  then 
turned  away  from  him,  saying  earnestly  once  more, 
"Forgive,  and  heaven  is  open  to  you." 

Many  wounded  and  dead  lay  on  the  plain,  and  the 
Pharanites  were  retreating  into  the  ravine,  for  the  Blem- 
myes  had  not  indeed  fled,  but  had  only  dispersed  them- 
selves, and  then  had  climbed  up  the  rocks  which 
hemmed  in  the  level  ground  and  shot  their  arrows  at 
their  enemies  from  thence. 

"Where  are  the  Romans?"  Agapitus  eagerly  en- 
quired of  Orion. 

"They  are  withdrawing  into  the  gorge  through 
which  the  road  leads  up  here,"  answered  the  Sa'ite. 
"But  look!  only  look  at  these  heathen !  The  Lord  be 
merciful  to  us!  they  are  climbing  up  the  cliffs  like  wood- 
peckers up  a  tree." 

"The  stones,  fly  to  the  stones!"  cried  Agapitus  with 
flashing  eyes  to  the  anchorites  that  stood  by.  "What  is 
going  on  behind  the  wall  there?  Do  you  hear?  Yes — 
that  is  the  Roman  tuba.  Courage,  brethren!  the  empe- 
ror's soldiers  are  guarding  the  weakest  side  of  the  castle. 
But  look  here  at  the  naked  figures  in  the  cleft.  Bring  the 
blocks  here;  set  your  shoulders  stoutly  to  it,  Orion!  one 
more  push,  Salathiel !  There  it  goes,  it  crashes  down — 
if  only  it  does  not  stick  in  the  rift!  No!  thank  God,  it 
has  bounded  off— that  was  a  leap!  Well  done — there 
were  six  enemies  of  the  Lord  destroyed  at  once." 

18 


274  HOMO    SUM. 

"I  see  three  more  yonder,"  cried  Orion.  "Come 
here,  Damianus,  and  help  me." 

The  man  he  called  rushed  forward  with  several 
others,  and  the  first  success  raised  the  courage  of  the 
anchorites  so  rapidly  and  wonderfully  that  the  bishop 
soon  found  it  difficult  to  restrain  their  zeal,  and  to  per- 
suade them  to  be  sparing  with  the  precious  missiles. 

While,  under  the  direction  of  Agapitus  stone  after 
stone  was  hurled  clattering  over  the  steep  precipice 
down  upon  the  Blemmyes,  Paulus  sat  by  the  sick  man, 
looking  at  the  ground. 

"You  are  not  helping  them?"  asked  Stephanus. 

"Agapitus  is  right,"  replied  the  Alexandrian.  "I 
have  much  to  expiate,  and  fighting  brings  enjoyment. 
How  great  enjoyment  I  can  understand  by  the  torture 
it  is  to  me  to  sit  still.  The  bishop  blessed  you  affec- 
tionately." 

"  I  am  near  the  goal,"  sighed  Stephanus,  "  and  he 
promises  me  the  joys  of  heaven  if  I  only  forgive  him 
who  stole  my  wife  from  me.  He  is  forgiven — yes,  all 
is  forgiven  him,  and  may  everything  that  he  undertakes 
turn  to  good;  yea,  and  nothing  turn  to  evil — only  feel 
how  my  heart  throbs,  it  is  rallying  its  strength  once 
more  before  it  utterly  ceases  to  beat.  When  it  is  all 
over  repeat  to  Hennas  everything  that  I  have  told  you, 
and  bless  him  a  thousand,  thousand  times  in  my  name 
and  his  mother's ;  but  never,  never  tell  him  that  in  an 
hour  of  weakness  she  ran  away  with  that  villain — that 
man,  that  miserable  man  I  mean — whom  I  forgive. 
Give  Hermas  this  ring,  and  with  it  the  letter  that  you 
will  find  under  the  dry  herbs  on  the  couch  in  my  cave ; 
they  will  secure  him  a  reception  from  his  uncle,  who  will 
also  procure  him  a  place  in  the  army,  for  my  brother  is 


HOMO    SUM.  275 

in  high  favor  with  Caesar.  Only  listen  how  Agapitus 
urges  on  our  men;  they  are  fighting  bravely  there; 
that  is  the  Roman  tuba.  Attend  to  me— the  maniple 
will  occupy  the  castle  and  shoot  down  on  the  heathen 
from  hence;  when  they  come  carry  me  into  the  tower. 
I  am  weak  and  would  fain  collect  my  thoughts,  and 
pray  once  more  that  I  may  find  strength  to  forgive  the 
man  not  with  my  lips  only." 

"  Down  there  see — there  come  the  Romans,"  cried 
Paulus  interrupting  him.  "Here,  up  here!"  he  called 
down  to  the  men,  "The  steps  are  more  to  the  left." 

"Here  we  are,"  answered  a  sharp  voice.  "You 
stay  there,  you  people,  on  that  projection  of  rock,  and 
keep  your  eye  on  the  castle.  If  any  danger  threatens 
call  me  with  the  trumpet.  I  will  climb  up,  and  from 
the  top  of  the  tower  there  I  can  see  where  the  dogs 
come  from." 

During  this  speech  Stephanus  had  looked  down  and 
listened;  when  a  few  minutes  later  the  Gaul  reached 
the  wall  and  called  out  to  the  men  inside,  "  Is  there  no 
one  there  who  will  give  me  a  hand?"  he  turned  to 
Paulus,  saying,  "Lift  me  up  and  support  me — quick!" 

With  an  agility  that  astonished  the  Alexandrian, 
Stephanus  stood  upon  his  feet,  leaned  over  the  wall 
towards  the  centurion — who  had  climbed  as  far  as  the 
outer  foot  of  it,  looked  him  in  the  face  with  eager  atten- 
tion, shuddered  violently,  and  repressing  his  feelings 
with  the  utmost  effort  offered  him  his  lean  hand  to  help 
him. 

"Servianus!"  cried  the  centurion,  who  was  greatly 
shocked  by  such  a  meeting  and  in  such  a  place,  and 
who,  struggling  painfully  for  composure,  stared  first  at 
the  old  man  and  then  at  Paulus. 


276  HOMO    SUM. 

Not  one  of  the  three  succeeded  in  uttering  a  word; 
but  Stephanus'  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  Gaul's  features, 
and  the  longer  he  looked  at  him  the  hollo wer  grew  his 
cheeks  and  the  paler  his  lips;  at  the  same  time  he  still 
held  out  his  hand  to  the  other,  perhaps  in  token  of 
forgiveness. 

So  passed  a  long  minute.  Then  Phcebicius  recol- 
lected that  he  had  climbed  the  wall  in  the  emperor's 
service,  and  stamping  with  impatience  at  himself  he 
took  the  old  man's  hand  in  a  hasty  grasp.  But  scarcely 
had  Stephanus  felt  the  touch  of  the  Gaul's  fingers  when 
he  started  as  struck  by  lightning,  and  flung  himself  with 
a  hoarse  cry  on  his  enemy  who  was  hanging  on  the 
edge  of  the  wall. 

Paulus  gazed  in  horror  at  the  frightful  scene,  and 
cried  aloud  with  fervent  unction,  "  Let  him  go — forgive 
that  heaven  may  forgive  you." 

"Heaven!  what  is  heaven,  what  is  forgiveness !" 
screamed  the  old  man.     "  He  shall  be  damned." 

Before  the  Alexandrian  could  hinder  him,  the  loose 
stone  over  which  the  enemies  were  wrestling  in  breath- 
less combat  gave  way,  and  both  were  hurled  into  the 
abyss  with  the  falling  rock. 

Paulus  groaned  from  the  lowest  depth  of  his  breast 
and  murmured  while  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks, 
"  He  too  has  fought  the  fight,  and  he  too  has  striven  in 


HOMO    SUM.  277 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


The  fight  was  ended;  the  sun  as  it  went  to  its  rest 
behind  the  Holy  Mountain  had  lighted  many  corpses 
of  Blemmyes,  and  now  the  stars  shone  down  on  the 
oasis  from  the  clear  sky. 

Hymns  of  praise  sounded  out  of  the  church,  and 
near  it,  under  the  hill  against  which  it  was  built,  torches 
were  blazing  and  threw  their  ruddy  light  on  a  row  of 
biers,  on  which  under  green  palm-branches  lay  the  heroes 
who  had  fallen  in  the  battle  against  the  Blemmyes. 

Now  the  hymn  ceased,  the  gates  of  the  house  of 
God  opened  and  Agapitus  led  his  followers  towards  the 
dead.  The  congregation  gathered  in  a  half-circle  round 
their  peaceful  brethren,  and  heard  the  blessing  that 
their  pastor  pronounced  over  the  noble  victims  who  had 
shed  their  blood  in  fighting  the  heathen.  When  it  was 
ended  those  who  in  life  had  been  their  nearest  and 
dearest  went  up  to  the  dead,  and  many  tears  fell  into 
the  sand  from  the  eye  of  a  mother  or  a  wife,  many  a 
sigh  went  up  to  heaven  from  a  father's  breast.  Next 
to  the  bier,  on  which  old  Stephanus  was  resting,  stood 
another  and  a  smaller  one,  and  between  the  two 
Hermas  knelt  and  wept.  He  raised  his  face,  for  a  deep 
and  kindly  voice  spoke  his  name. 

"Petrus,"  said  the  lad,  clasping  the  hand  that  the 
senator  held  out  to  him,  "  I  felt  forced  and  driven  out 
into  the  world,  and  away  from  my  father — and  now  he 
is  gone  for  ever  how  gladly  I  would  have  been  kept  by 
him." 


278  HOMO    SUM. 

"He  died  a  noble  death,  in  battle  for  those  he 
loved,"  said  the  senator  consolingly. 

"  Paulus  was  near  him  when  he  fell,"  replied  Her- 
nias. "  My  father  fell  from  the  wall  while  defending 
the  tower;  but  look  here  this  girl — poor  child — who 
used  to  keep  your  goats,  died  like  a  heroine.  Poor, 
wild  Miriam,  how  kind  I  would  be  to  you  if  only  you 
were  alive  now!" 

Hermas  as  he  spoke  stroked  the  arm  of  the  shep- 
herdess, pressed  a  kiss  on  her  small,  cold  hand,  and 
softly  folded  it  with  the  other  across  her  bosom. 

"  How  did  the  girl  get  into  the  battle  with  the  men?" 
asked  Petrus.  "But  you  can  tell  me  that  in  my  own 
house.  Come  and  be  our  guest  as  long  as  it  pleases 
you,  and  until  you  go  forth  into  the  world;  thanks  are 
due  to  you  from  us  all." 

Hermas  blushed  and  modestly  declined  the  praises 
which  were  showered  on  him  on  all  sides  as  the  savior 
of  the  oasis.  When  the  wailing  women  appeared  he 
knelt  once  more  at  the  head  of  his  father's  bier,  cast  a 
last  loving  look  at  Miriam's  peaceful  face,  and  then 
followed  his  host. 

The  man  and  boy  crossed  the  court  together. 
Hermas  involuntarily  glanced  up  at  the  window  where 
more  than  once  he  had  seen  Sirona,  and  said,  as  he 
pointed  to  the  centurion's  house,  "  He  too  fell." 

Petrus  nodded  and  opened  the  door  of  his  house. 
In  the  hall,  which  was  lighted  up,  Dorothea  came 
hastily  to  meet  him,  asking,  "No  news  yet  of  Poly- 
karp?" 

Her  husband  shook  his  head,  and  she  added,  "  How 
indeed  is  it  possible?  He  will  write  at  the  soonest 
from  Klysma  or  perhaps  even  from  Alexandria." 


HOMO    RUM.  %    279 

"That  is  just  what  I  think,"  replied  Petrus,  looking 
down  to  the  ground.  Then  he  turned  to  Hernias  and 
introduced  him  to  his  wife. 

Dorothea  received  the  young  man  with  warm  sym- 
pathy; she  had  heard  that  his  father  had  fallen  in  the 
fight,  and  how  nobly  he  too  had  distinguished  himself. 
Supper  was  ready,  and  Hermas  was  invited  to  share  it. 
The  mistress  gave  her  daughter  a  sign  to  make  prepa- 
rations for  their  guest,  but  Petrus  detained  Marthana, 
and  said,  "Hermas  may  fill  Antonius'  place;  he  has 
still  something  to  do  with  some  of  the  workmen. 
Where  are  Jethro  and  the  house-slaves  ?" 

"They  have  already  eaten,"  said  Dorothea. 

The  husband  and  wife  looked  at  each  other,  and 
Petrus  said  with  a  melancholy  smile,  "I  believe  they 
are  up  on  the  mountain." 

Dorothea  wiped  a  tear  from  her  eye  as  she  replied, 
"They  will  meet  Antonius  there.  If  only  they  could 
find  Polykarp !  And  yet  I  honestly  say — not  merely  to 
comfort  you — it  is  most  probable  that  he  has  not  met 
with  any  accident  in  the  mountain  gorges,  but  has  gone 
to  Alexandria  to  escape  the  memories  that  follow  him 
here  at  every  step — Was  not  that  the  gate  ?  " 

She  rose  quickly  and  looked  into  the  court,  while 
Petrus,  who  had  followed  her,  did  the  same,  saying  with 
a  deep  sigh,  as  he  turned  to  Marthana — who,  while  she 
offered  meat  and  bread  to  Hermas  was  watching  her 
parents — "  It  was  only  the  slave  Anubis." 

For  some  time  a  painful  silence  reigned  round  the 
large  table,  to-day  so  sparely  furnished  with  guests. 

At  last  Petrus  turned  to  his  guest  and  said,  "  You 
were  to  tell  me  how  the  shepherdess  Miriam  lost  her  life 
in  the  struggle.     She  had  run  away  from  our  house — " 


280      9  HOMO    SUM. 

"Up  the  mountain,"  added  Hermas.  "She  supplied 
my  poor  father  with  water  like  a  daughter." 

"You  see,  mother,"  interrupted  Marthana,  "she 
was  not  bad-hearted-  I  always  said  so." 

"This  morning,"  continued  Hermas,  nodding  in  sad 
assent  to  the  maiden,  "she  followed  my  father  to  the 
castle,  and  immediately  after  his  fall,  Paulus  told  me, 
she  rushed  away  from  it,  but  only  to  seek  me  and  to 
bring  me  the  sad  news.  We  had  known  each  other  a 
long  time,  for  years  she  had  watered  her  goats  at  our 
well,  and  while  I  was  still  quite  a  boy  and  she  a  little 
girl,  she  would  listen  for  hours  when  I  played  on  my 
willow  pipe  the  songs  which  Paulus  had  taught  me. 
As  long  as  I  played  she  was  perfectly  quiet,  and  when 
I  ceased  she  wanted  to  hear  more  and  still  more,  until 
I  had  too  much  of  it  and  went  away.  Then  she  would 
grow  angry,  and  if  I  would  not  do  her  will  she  would 
scold  me  with  bad  words.  But  she  always  came  again, 
and  as  I  had  no  other  companion  and  she  was  the  only 
creature  who  cared  to  listen  to  me,  I  was  very  well- 
content  that  she  should  prefer  our  well  to  all  the  others. 
Then  we  grew  older  and  I  began  to  be  afraid  of  her, 
for  she  would  talk  in  such  a  godless  way — and  she  even 
died  a  heathen.  Paulus,  who  once  overheard  us, 
warned  me  against  her,  and  as  I  had  long  thrown  away 
the  pipe  and  hunted  beasts  with  my  bow  and  arrow  when- 
ever my  father  would  let  me,  I  was  with  her  for  shorter 
intervals  when  I  went  to  the  well  to  draw  water,  and  we 
became  more  and  more  strangers;  indeed,  I  could  be 
quite  hard  to  her.  Only  once  after  I  came  back  from 
the  capital  something  happened — but  that  I  need  not  tell 
you.  The  poor  child  was  so  unhappy  at  being  a  slave, 
and  no  doubt  had  first  seen  the  light  in  a  free-house. 


HOMO    SUM.  251 

"  She  was  fond  of  me,  more  than  a  sister  is  of  a 
brother — and  when  my  father  was  dead  she  felt  that  I 
ought  not  to  learn  the  news  from  any  one  but  herself. 
She  had  seen  which  way  I  had  gone  with  the  Pharanites 
and  followed  me  up,  and  she  soon  found  me,  for  she 
had  the  eyes  of  a  gazelle  and  the  ears  of  a  startled  bird. 
It  was  not  this  time  difficult  to  find  me,  for  when  she 
sought  me  we  were  fighting  with  the  Blemmyes  in  the 
green  hollow  that  leads  from  the  mountain  to  the  sea. 
They  roared  with  fury  like  wild  beasts,  for  before  we 
could  get  to  the  sea  the  fishermen  in  the  little  town  be- 
low had  discovered  their  boats,  which  they  had  hidden 
under  sand  and  stones,  and  had  carried  them  off  to 
their  harbor.  The  boy  from  Ra'ithu  who  accompanied 
me,  had  by  my  orders  kept  them  in  sight,  and  had  led 
the  fishermen  to  the  hiding-place.  The  watchmen 
whom  they  had  left  with  the  boats  had  fled,  and  had 
reached  their  companions  who  were  fighting  round  the 
castle,  and  at  least  two  hundred  of  them  had  been  sent 
back  to  the  shore  to  recover  possession  of  the  boats  and 
to  punish  the  fishermen.  This  troop  met  us  in  the 
green  valley,  and  there  we  fell  to  fighting. 

The  Blemmyes  outnumbered  us;  they  soon  sur- 
rounded us  before  and  behind,  on  the  right  side  and  on 
the  left,  for  they  jumped  and  climbed  from  rock  to  rock 
like  mountain  goats  and  then  shot  down  their  reed- 
arrows  from  above.  Three  or  four  touched  me,  and 
one  pierced  my  hair  and  remained  hanging  in  it  with 
the  feather  at  the  end  of  the  shaft. 

"How  the  battle  went  elsewhere  I  cannot  tell 
you,  for  the  blood  mounted  to  my  head,  and  I  was  only 
conscious  that  I  myself  snorted  and  shouted  like  a  mad- 
man and  wrestled  with  the  heathen  now  here  and  now 


282  HOMO    SUM. 

there,  and  more  than  once  lifted  my  axe  to  cleave  a 
skull.  At  the  same  time  I  saw  a  part  of  our  men  turn 
to  fly,  and  I  called  them  back  with  furious  words;  then 
they  turned  round  and  followed  me  again. 

"  Once,  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle,  I  saw  Miriam 
too,  clinging  pale  and  trembling  to  a  rock  and  looking 
on  at  the  fight.  I  shouted  to  her  to  leave  the  spot,  and 
go  back  to  my  father,  but  she  stood  still  and  shook  her 
head  with  a  gesture — a  gesture  so  full  of  pity  and 
anguish — I  shall  never  forget  it.  With  hands  and  eyes 
she  signed  to  me  that  my  father  was  dead,  and  I  under- 
stood; at  least  I  understood  that  some  dreadful  misfor- 
tune had  happened.  I  had  no  time  for  reflection,  for 
before  I  could  gain  any  certain  information  by  word  of 
mouth,  a  captain  of  the  heathen  had  seized  me,  and  we 
came  to  a  life  and  death  struggle  before  Miriam's  very 
eyes.  My  opponent  was  strong,  but  I  showed  the  girl 
— who  had  often  taunted  me  for  being  a  weakling  be- 
cause I  obeyed  my  father  in  everything — that  I  need 
yield  to  no  one.  I  could  not  have  borne  to  be  van- 
quished before  her  and  I  flung  the  heathen  to  the  ground 
and  slew  him  with  my  axe.  I  was  only  vaguely  con- 
scious of  her  presence,  for  during  my  severe  struggle  I 
could  see  nothing  but  my  adversary.  But  suddenly  I 
heard  a  loud  scream,  and  Miriam  sank  bleeding  close 
before  me.  While  I  was  kneeling  over  his  comrade  one 
of  the  Blemmyes  had  crept  up  to  me,  and  had  flung  his 
lance  at  me  from  a  few  paces  off.  But  Miriam — 
Miriam — " 

"  She  saved  you  at  the  cost  of  her  own  life,"  said  Pe- 
trus  completing  the  lad's  sentence,  for  at  the  recollection 
of  the  occurrence  his  voice  had  failed  and  his  eyes  over- 
flowed with  tears. 


HOMO    SUM.  283 

Hermas  nodded  assent,  and  then  added  softly: 

"  She  threw  up  her  arms  and  called  my  name  as  the 
spear  struck  her.  The  eldest  son  of  Obedianus  pun- 
ished the  heathen  that  had  done  it,  and  I  supported  her 
as  she  fell  dying  and  took  her  curly  head  on  my  knees 
and  spoke  her  name;  she  opened  her  eyes  once  more, 
and  spoke  mine  softly  and  with  indescribable  tender- 
ness. I  had  never  thought  that  wild  Miriam  could 
speak  so  sweetly,  I  was  overcome  with  terrible  grief, 
and  kissed  her  eyes  and  her  lips.  She  looked  at  me 
once  more  with  a  long,  wide-open,  blissful  gaze,  and 
then  she  was  dead." 

"  She  was  a  heathen,"  said  Dorothea,  drying  her  eyes, 
"but  for  such  a  death  the  Lord  will  forgive  her  much." 

"  I  loved  her  dearly,"  said  Marthana,  "  and  will  lay 
my  sweetest  flowers  on  her  grave.  May  I  cut  some 
sprays  from  your  blooming  myrtle  for  a  wreath  ?" 

"To-morrow,  to-morrow,  my  child,"  replied  Doro- 
thea.    "Now  go  to  rest;  it  is  already  very  late." 

"  Only  let  me  stay  till  Antonius  and  Jethro  come 
back,"  begged  the  girl. 

"  I  would  willingly  help  you  to  find  your  son,"  said 
Hermas,  "and  if  you  wish  I  will  go  to  Raithu  and 
Klysma,  and  enquire  among  the  fishermen.  Had  the 
centurion — "and  as  he  spoke  the  young  soldier  looked 
down  in  some  embarrassment,  "had  the  centurion 
found  his  fugitive  wife  of  whom  he  was  in  pursuit  with 
Talib,  the  Amalekite,  before  he  died  ?" 

"Sirona  has  not  yet  reappeared,"  replied  Petrus, 
"  and  perhaps — but  just  now  you  mentioned  the  name 
of  Paulus,  who  was  so  dear  to  you  and  your  father. 
Do  you  know  that  it  was  he  who  so  shamelessly  ruined 
the  domestic  peace  of  the  centurion  ?" 


284  HOMO    SUM. 

"  Paul  us!"  cried  Hermas.  "How  can  you  believe 
it?" 

"  Phoebicius  found  his  sheepskin  in  his  wife's  room," 
replied  Petrus  gravely.  "And  the  impudent  Alexan- 
drian recognized  it  as  his  own  before  us  all  and  allowed 
the  Gaul  to  punish  him.  He  committed  the  disgraceful 
deed  the  very  evening  that  you  were  sent  off  to  gain  in- 
telligence." 

"And  Phcebicius  flogged  him ? "  cried  Hermas  beside 
himself.  "And  the  poor  fellow  bore  this  disgrace  and 
your  blame,  and  all — all  for  my  sake.  Now  I  under- 
stand what  he  meant !  I  met  him  after  the  battle  and  he 
told  me  that  my  father  was  dead.  When  he  parted 
from  me,  he  said  he  was  of  all  sinners  the  greatest,  and 
that  I  should  hear  it  said  down  in  the  oasis.  But  I 
know  better;  he  is  great-hearted  and  good,  and  I  will 
not  bear  that  he  should  be  disgraced  and  slandered  for 
my  sake."  Hermas  had  sprung  up  with  these  words, 
and  as  he  met  the  astonished  gaze  of  his  hosts,  he  tried 
to  collect  himself,  and  said : 

"  Paulus  never  even  saw  Sirona,  and  I  repeat  it,  if 
there  is  a  man  who  may  boast  off  being  good  and  pure 
and  quite  without  sin,  it  is  he.  For  me,  and  to  save  me 
from  punishment  and  my  father  from  sorrow,  he  owned 
a  sin  that  he  never  committed.  Such  a  deed  is  just 
like  him — the  brave — faithful  friend!  But  such  shame- 
ful suspicion  and  disgrace  shall  not  weigh  upon  him  a 
moment  longer!" 

"You  are  speaking  to  an  older  man,"  said  Petrus 
angrily  interrupting  the  youth's  vehement  speech. 
"Your  friend  acknowledged  with  his  own  lips — " 

"Then  he  told  a  lie  out  of  pure  goodness,"  Hermas 
insisted.     "The   sheepskin   that  the    Gaul   found   was 


HOMO    SUM.  285 

mine.  I  had  gone  to  Sirona,  while  her  husband  was 
sacrificing  to  Mithras,  to  fetch  some  wine  for  my  father, 
and  she  allowed  me  to  try  on  the  centurion's  armor; 
when  he  unexpectedly  returned  I  leaped  out  into  the 
street  and  forgot  that  luckless  sheepskin.  Paulus  met 
me  as  I  fled,  and  said  he  would  set  it  all  right,  and  sent 
me  away — to  take  my  place  and  save  my  father  a  great 
trouble.  Look  at  me  as  severely  as  you  will,  Dorothea, 
but  it  was  only  in  thoughtless  folly  that  I  slipped  into 
the  Gaul's  house  that  evening,  and  by  the  memory  of 
my  father — of  whom  heaven  has  this  day  bereft  me — 
I  swear  that  Sirona  only  amused  herself  with  me  as 
with  a  boy,  a  child,  and  even  refused  to  let  me  kiss  her 
beautiful  golden  hair.  As  surely  as  I  hope  to  become 
a  warrior,  and  as  surely  as  my  father's  spirit  hears  what 
I  say,  the  guilt  that  Paulus  took  upon  himself  was  nev- 
er committed  at  all,  and  when  you  condemned  Sirona 
you  did  an  injustice,  for  she  never  broke  her  faith  to  her 
husband  for  me,  nor  still  less  for  Paulus." 

Petrus  and  Dorothea  exchanged  a  meaning  glance, 
and  Dorothea  said: 

"Why  have  we  to  learn  all  this  from  the  lips  of  a 
stranger?  It  sounds  very  extraordinary,  and  yet  how 
simple!  Aye,  husband,  it  would  have  become  us  better 
to  guess  something  of  this  than  to  doubt  Sirona.  From 
the  first  it  certainly  seemed  to  me  impossible  that  that 
handsome  woman,  for  whom  quite  different  people  had 
troubled  themselves  should  err  for  this  queer  beggar — " 

"What  cruel  injustice  has  fallen  on  the  poor  man!" 
cried  Petrus.  "  If  he  had  boasted  of  some  noble  deed, 
we  should  indeed  have  been  less  ready  to  give  him 
credence." 

"We  are  suffering  heavy  punishment,"  sighed  Doro- 


286  HOMO    SUM. 

thea,  "and  my  heart  is  bleeding.  Why  did  you  not 
come  to  us,  Hermas,  if  you  wanted  wine  ?  How  much 
suffering  would  have  been  spared  if  you  had!" 

The  lad  looked  down,  and  was  silent;  but  soon  he 
recollected  himself,  and  said  eagerly: 

"Let  me  go  and  seek  the  hapless  Paulus;  I  return 
you  thanks  for  your  kindness  but  I  cannot  bear  to  stay 
here  any  longer.  I  must  go  back  to  the  mountain." 
♦  The  senator  and  his  wife  did  not  detain  him,  and 
when  the  court-yard  gate  had  closed  upon  him  a  great 
stillness  reigned  in  Petrus'  sitting-room.  Dorothea 
leaned  far  back  in  her  seat  and  sat  looking  in  her  lap 
while  the  tears  rolled  over  her  cheeks;  Marthana  held 
her  hand  and  stroked  it,  and  the  senator  stepped  to  the 
window  and  sighed  deeply  as  he  looked  down  into  the 
dark  court.  Sorrow  lay  on  all  their  hearts  like  a  heavy 
leaden  burden.  All  was  still  in  the  spacious  room,  only 
now  and  then  a  loud,  long-drawn  cry  of  the  wailing 
women  rang  through  the  quiet  night  and  reached  them 
through  the  open  window ;  it  was  a  heavy  hour,  rich  in 
vain,  but  silent  self-accusation,  in  anxiety,  and  short 
prayers;  poor  in  hope  or  consolation. 

Presently  Petrus  heaved  a  deep  sigh,  and  Dorothea 
rose  to  go  up  to  him  and  to  say  to  him  some  sincere 
word  of  affection;  but  just  then  the  dogs  in  the  yard 
barked,  and  the  agonized  father  said  softly — in  deep  de- 
jection, and  prepared  for  the  worst: 

"Most  likely  it  is  they." 

The  deaconess  pressed  his  hand  in  hers,  but  drew 
back  when  a  light  tap  was  heard  at  the  court-yard  gate. 

"It  is  not  Jethro  and  Antonius."  said  Petrus, 
"they  have  a  key." 

Marthana  had  gone  up  to  him,  and  she   clung  to 


HOMO    SUM.  287 

him  as  he  leaned  far  out  of  the  window  and  called  to 
whoever  it  was  that  had  tapped: 

"  Who  is  that  knocking  ?  " 

The  dogs  barked  so  loud  that  neither  the  senator 
nor  the  women  were  able  to  hear  the  answer  which 
seemed  to  be  returned. 

"Listen  to  Argus,"  said  Dorothea,  "he  never  howls 
like  that,  but  when  you  come  home  or  one  of  us,  or 
when  he  is  pleased." 

Petrus  laid  his  finger  on  his  lips  and  sounded  a  clear, 
shrill  whistle,  and  as  the  dogs,  obedient  to  this  signal, 
were  silent,  he  once  more  called  out,  "Whoever  you 
may  be,  say  plainly  who  you  are,  that  I  may  open  the 
gate." 

They  were  kept  waiting  some  few  minutes  for  the 
answer,  and  the  senator  was  on  the  point  of  repeating 
his  enquiry,  when  a  gentle  voice  timidly  came  from  the 
gate  to  the  window,  saying,  "It  is  I,  Petrus,  the  fugitive 
Sirona."  Hardly  had  the  words  tremulously  pierced 
the  silence,  when  Marthana  broke  from  her  father, 
whose  hand  was  resting  on  her  shoulder,  and  flew  out 
of  the  door,  down  the  steps  and  out  to  the  gate. 

"Sirona;  poor,  dear  Sirona,"  cried  the  girl  as  she 
pushed  back  the  bolt;  as  soon  as  she  had  opened  the 
door  and  Sirona  had  entered  the  court,  she  threw  her- 
self on  her  neck,  and  kissed  and  stroked  her  as  if  she 
were  her  long  lost  sister  found  again;  then,  without 
allowing  her  to  speak,  she  seized  her  hand  and  drew 
her — in  spite  of  the  slight  resistance  she  offered — with 
many  affectionate  exclamations  up  the  steps  and  into 
the  sitting-room.  Petrus  and  Dorothea  met  her  on  the 
threshold,  and  the  latter  pressed  her  to  her  heart,  kissed 
her  forehead  and  said,  "Poor  woman:  we  know  now 


288  HOMO    SUM. 

that  we  have  done  you  an  injustice,  and  will  try  to 
make  it  good."  The  senator  too  went  up  to  her,  took 
her  hand  and  added  his  greetings  to  those  of  his  wife, 
for  he  knew  not  whether  she  had  as  yet  heard  of  her 
husband's  end. 

Sirona  could  not  find  a  word  in  reply.  She  had  ex- 
pected to  be  expelled  as  a  castaway  when  she  came 
down  the  mountain,  losing  her  way  in  the  darkness. 
Her  sandals  were  cut  by  the  sharp  rocks,  and  hung  in 
strips  to  her  bleeding  feet,  her  beautiful  hair  was  tum- 
bled by  the  night-wind,  and  her  white  robe  looked  like 
a  ragged  beggar's  garment,  for  she  had  torn  it  to  make 
bandages  for  Polykarp's  wound. 

Some  hours  had  already  passed  since  she  had  left 
her  patient — her  heart  full  of  dread  for  him  and  of 
anxiety  as  to  the  hard  reception  she  might  meet  with 
from  his  parents. 

How  her  hand  shook  with  fear  of  Petrus  and  Doro- 
thea as  she  raised  the  brazen  knocker  of  the  senator's 
door,  and  now — a  father,  a  mother,  a  sister  opened 
their  arms  to  her,  and  an  affectionate  home  smiled  upon 
her.  Her  heart  and  soul  overflowed  with  boundless 
emotion  and  unlimited  thankfulness,  and  weeping 
loudly,  she  pressed  her  clasped  hands  to  her  breast. 

But  she  spared  only  a  few  moments  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  these  feelings  of  delight,  for  there  was  no  hap- 
piness for  her  without  Polykarp,  and  it  was  for  his  sake 
that  she  had  undertaken  this  perilous  night-journey. 
Marthana  had  tenderly  approached  her,  but  she  gently 
put  her  aside,  saying,  "  Not  just  now,  dear  girl.  I  have 
already  wasted  an  hour,  for  I  lost  my  way  in  the 
ravines.  Get  ready  Petrus  to  come  back  to  the  moun- 
tain with  me  at  once,  for — but  do  not  be  startled  Doro- 


HOMO    SUM.  289 

thea,  Paulus  says  that  the  worst  danger  is  over,  and  if 
Polykarp — " 

"For  God's  sake,  do  you  know  where  he  is?"  cried 
Dorothea,  and  her  cheeks  crimsoned  while  Petrus  turned 
pale,  and,  interrupting  her,  asked  in  breathless  anxiety, 
"  Where  is  Polykarp,  and  what  has  happened  to  him  ?  " 

"  Prepare  yourself  to  hear  bad  news,"  said  Sirona, 
looking  at  the  pair  with  mournful  anxiety  as  if  to  crave 
their  pardon  for  the  evil  tidings  she  was  obliged  to 
bring.  "  Polykarp  had  a  fall  on  a  sharp  stone  and  so 
wounded  his  head.  Paulus  brought  him  to  me  this 
morning  before  he  set  out  against  the  Blemmyes,  that  I 
might  nurse  him.  I  have  incessantly  cooled  his  wound, 
and  towards  mid-day  he  opened  his  eyes  and  knew  me 
again,  and  said  you  would  be  anxious  about  him. 
After  sundown  he  went  to  sleep,  but  he  is  not  wholly 
free  from  fever,  and  as  soon  as  Paulus  came  in  I  set  out 
to  quiet  your  anxiety  and  to  entreat  you  to  give  me  a 
cooling  potion,  that  I  may  return  to  him  with  it  at 
once."  The  deepest  sorrow  sounded  in  Sirona's  ac- 
cents as  she  told  her  story,  and  tears  had  started  to  her 
eyes  as  she  related  to  the  parents  what  had  befallen 
their  son.  Petrus  and  Dorothea  listened  as  to  a  singer, 
who,  dressed  indeed  in  robes  of  mourning,  nevertheless 
sings  a  lay  of  return  and  hope  to  a  harp  wreathed  with 
flowers. 

"  Quick,  quick,  Marthana,"  cried  Dorothea  eagerly 
and  with  sparkling  eyes,  before  Sirona  had  ended. 
"  Quick,  the  basket  with  the  bandages.  I  will  mix  the 
fever-draught  myself."  Petrus  went  up  to  the  Gaulish 
woman. 

"It  is  really  no  worse  than  you  represent?"  he 
asked  in  a  low  voice.     "He  is  alive?  and  Paulus — " 


290  HOMO    SUM. 

"  Paulus  says,"  interrupted  Sirona,  "  that  with  good 
nursing  the  sick  man  will  be  well  in  a  few  weeks." 

"And  you  can  lead  me  to  him?" 

"I — oh,  alas!  alas!"  Sirona  cried,  striking  her  hand 
against  her  forehead.  "  I  shall  never  succeed  in  finding 
my  way  back,  for  I  noticed  no  way-marks!  But  stay — 
Before  us  a  penitent  from  Memphis,  who  has  been 
dead  a  few  weeks — " 

"Old  Serapion?"  asked  Petrus. 

"That  was  his  name,"  exclaimed  Sirona.  "Do  you 
know  his  cave?" 

"How  should  I?"  replied  Petrus.  "But  perhaps 
Agapitus — " 

"The  spring  where  I  got  the  water  to  cool  Poly- 
karp's  wound,  Paulus  calls  the  partridge's-spring." 

"The  partridge's-spring,"  repeated  the  senator,  "I 
know  that."  With  a  deep  sigh  he  took  his  staff,  and 
called  to  Dorothea,  "  Do  you  prepare  the  draught,  the 
bandages,  torches,  and  your  good  litter,  while  I  knock 
at  our  neighbor  Magadon's  door,  and  ask  him  to  lend 
us  slaves." 

"  Let  me  go  with  you,"  said  Marthana. 

"No,  no;  you  stay  here  with  your  mother." 

"And  do  you  think  that  I  can  wait  here?"  asked 
Dorothea.     "I  am  going  with  you." 

"  There  is  much  here  for  you  to  do,"  replied  Petrus 
evasively,  "and  we  must  climb  the  hill  quickly." 

"  I  should  certainly  delay  you,"  sighed  the  mother, 
"but  take  the  girl  with  you;  she  has  a  light  and  lucky 
hand." 

"  If  you  think  it  best,"  said  the  senator,  and  he  left 
the  room. 

While  the  mother  and  daughter  prepared  everything 


HOMO    SUM.  291 

for  the  night-expedition,  and  came  and  went,  they  found 
time  to  put  many  questions  and  say  many  affectionate 
words  to  Sirona.  Marthana,  even  without  interrupting 
her  work,  set  food  and  drink  for  the  weary  woman  on 
the  table  by  which  she  had  sunk  on  a  seat;  but  she 
hardly  moistened  her  lips. 

When  the  young  girl  showed  her  the  basket  that 
she  had  filled  with  medicine  and  linen  bandages,  with 
wine  and  pure  water,  Sirona  said,  "  Now  lend  me  a  pair 
of  your  strongest  sandals,  for  mine  are  all  torn,  and  I 
cannot  follow  the  men  without  shoes,  for  the  stones  are 
sharp,  and  cut  into  che  flesh." 

Marthana  now  perceived  for  the  first  time  the  blood 
on  her  friend's  feet,  she  quickly  took  the  lamp  from  the 
table  and  placed  it  on  the  pavement,  exclaiming,  as  she 
knelt  down  in  front  of  Sirona  and  took  her  slender 
white  feet  in  her  hand  to  look  at  the  wounds  on  the 
soles,  "Good  heavens!  here  are  three  deep  cuts!" 

In  a  moment  she  had  a  basin  at  hand,  and  was  care- 
fully bathing  the  wounds  in  Sirona's  feet;  while  she  was 
wrapping  the  injured  foot  in  strips  of  linen  Dorothea 
came  up  to  them. 

"I  would,"  she  said,  "that  Polykarp  were  only  here 
now,  this  roll  would  suffice  to  bind  you  both."  A  faint 
flush  overspread  Sirona's  cheeks,  but  Dorothea  was 
suddenly  conscious  of  what  she  had  said,  and  Marthana 
gently  pressed  her  friend's  hand. 

When  the  bandage  was  securely  fixed,  Sirona  at- 
tempted to  walk,  but  she  succeeded  so  badly  that 
Petrus,  who  now  came  back  with  his  friend  Magadon 
and  his  sons,  and  several  slaves,  found  it  necessary  co 
strictly  forbid  her  to  accompany  them.  Ke  felt  sure  of 
finding   his   son  without   her,  for  one  of  Magadon's 


292  HOMO    SUM 

people  had  often  carried  bread  and  oil  to  old  Serapion 
and  knew  his  cave. 

Before  the  senator  and  his  daughter  left  the  room 
he  whispered  a  few  words  to  his  wife,  and  together  they 
went  up  to  Sirona. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  asked,  "what  has  happened  to 
to  your  husband  ?" 

Sirona  nodded.  "I  heard  it  from  Paulus,"  she 
answered.     "  Now  I  am  quite  alone  in  the  world." 

"Not  so,"  replied  Petrus.  "You  will  find  shelter 
and  love  under  our  roof  as  if  it  were  your  father's,  so 
long  as  it  suits  you  to  stay  with  us.  You  need  not 
thank  us — we  are  deeply  in  your  debt.  Farewell  till 
we  meet  again  wife.  I  would  Polykarp  were  safe  here, 
and  that  you  had  seen  his  wound.  Come,  Marthana, 
the  minutes  are  precious." 

When  Dorothea  and  Sirona  were  alone,  the  deacon- 
ess said,  "  Now  I  will  go  and  make  up  a  bed  for  you, 
for  you  must  be  very  tired." 

"  No,  no !"  begged  Sirona.  "  I  will  wait  and  watch 
with  you,  for  I  certainly  could  not  sleep  till  I  know 
how  it  is  with  him."  She  spoke  so  warmly  and  eagerly 
that  the  deaconess  gratefully  offered  her  hand  to  her 
young  friend.  Then  she  said,  "  I  will  leave  you  alone 
for  a  few  minutes,  for  my  heart  is  so  full  of  anxiety  that 
I  must  needs  go  and  pray  for  help  for  him,  and  for 
courage  and  strength  for  myself." 

"Take  me  with  you,"  entreated  Sirona  in  a  low 
tone.  "  In  my  need  I  opened  my  heart  to  your  good 
and  loving  God,  and  I  will  never  more  pray  to  any 
other.  The  mere  thought  of  Him  strengthened  and 
comforted  me,  and  now,  if  ever,  in  this  hour  I  need  His 
merciful  support." 


HOMO    SUM.  293 

"My  child,  my  daughter!"  cried  the  deaconess, 
deeply  moved;  she  bent  over  Sirona,  kissed  her  fore- 
head and  her  lips,  and  led  her  by  the  hand  into  her 
quiet  sleeping-room. 

"This  is  the  place  where  I  most  love  to  pray,"  she 
said,  "although  there  is  here  no  image  and  no  altar. 
My  God  is  everywhere  present  and  in  every  place  I  can 
find  Him." 

The  two  women  knelt  down  side  by  side,  and  both 
besought  the  same  God  for  the  same  mercies — not  for 
themselves,  but  for  another;  and  both  in  their  sorrow 
could  give  thanks — Sirona,  because  in  Dorothea  she 
had  found  a  mother,  and  Dorothea,  because  in  Sirona 
she  had  found  a  dear  and  loving  daughter. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Paulus  was  sitting  in  front  of  the  cave  that  had 
sheltered  Polykarp  and  Sirona,  and  he  watched  the 
torches  whose  light  lessened  as  the  bearers  went  farther 
and  farther  towards  the  valley.  They  lighted  the  way 
for  the  wounded  sculptor,  who  was  being  borne  home 
to  the  oasis,  lying  in  his  mother's  easy  litter,  and  ac- 
companied by  his  father  and  his  sister. 

"Yet  an  hour,"  thought  the  anchorite,  "and  the 
mother  will  have  her  son  again,  yet  a  week  and  Poly- 
karp will  rise  from  his  bed,  yet  a  year  and  he  will  re- 
member nothing  of  yesterday  but  a  scar — and  perhaps 
a  kiss  that  he  pressed  on  the  Gaulish  woman's  rosy  lips. 
I  shall  find  it  harder  to  forget.  The  ladder  which  for 
so  many  years  I  had  labored  to  construct,   on  which  I 


294  HOMO    SUM. 

thought  to  scale  heaven,  and  which  looked  to  me  so 
lofty  and  so  safe,  there  it  lies  broken  to  pieces,  and  the 
hand  that  struck  it  down  was  my  own  weakness.  It 
would  almost  seem  as  if  this  weakness  of  mine  had 
more  power  than  what  we  call  moral  strength.,  for  that 
which  it  took  the  one  years  to  build  up,  was  wrecked 
by  the  other  in  a  moment.  In  weakness  only  am  I  a 
giant." 

Paulus  shivered  at  these  words,  for  he  was  cold. 
Early  in  that  morning  when  he  had  taken  upon  himself 
Hennas'  guilt  he  had  abjured  wearing  his  sheepskin; 
now  his  body,  accustomed  to  the  warm  wrap,  suffered 
severely,  and  his  blood  coursed  with  fevered  haste 
through  his  veins  since  the  efforts,  night-watches,  and 
excitement  of  the  last  few  days.  He  drew  his  little 
coat  close  around  him  with  a  shiver  and  muttered,  "  I 
feel  like  a  sheep  that  has  been  shorn  in  midwinter,  and 
my  head  burns  as  if  I  were  a  baker  and  had  to  draw  the 
bread  out  of  the  oven;  a  child  might  knock  me  down, 
and  my  eyes  are  heavy.  I  have  not  even  the  energy  to 
collect  my  thoughts  for  a  prayer,  of  which  I  am  in  such 
sore  need.  My  goal  is  undoubtedly  the  right  one,  but 
so  soon  as  I  seem  to  be  n earing  it,  my  weakness  snatch- 
es it  from  me,  as  the  wind  swept  back  the  fruit-laden 
boughs  which  Tantalus,  parched  with  thirst,  tried  to 
grasp.  I  fled  from  the  world  to  this  mountain,  and  the 
world  has  pursued  me  and  has  flung  its  snares  round 
my  feet.  I  must  seek  a  lonelier  waste  in  which  I  may 
be  alone — quite  alone  with  my  God  and  myself.  There, 
perhaps  I  may  find  the  way  I  seek,  if  indeed  the  fact 
that  the  creature  that  I  call  "I,"  in  which  the  whole 
world  with  all  its  agitations  in  little  finds  room — and 
which  will  accompany  me  even  there — does  not  once 


HOMO    SUM.  295 

again  frustrate  all  my  labor.  He  who  takes  his  Self  with 
him  into  the  desert,  is  not  alone." 

Paulus  sighed  deeply  and  then  pursued  his  reflec- 
tions:  "How  puffed  up  with  pride  I  was  after  I  had 
tasted  the  Gaul's  rods  in  place  of  Hermas,  and  then  I 
was  like  a  drunken  man  who  falls  down  stairs  step  by 
step.  And  poor  Stephanus  too  had  a  fall  when  he  was 
so  near  the  goal !  He  failed  in  strength  to  forgive,  and 
the  senator  who  has  just  now  left  me,  and  whose  innocent 
son  I  had  so  badly  hurt,  when  we  parted  forgivingly 
gave  me  his  hand.  I  could  see  that  he  did  forgive  me 
with  all  his  heart,  and  this  Petrus  stands  in  the  midst 
of  life,  and  is  busy  early  and  late  with  mere  worldly 
affairs." 

For  a  time  he  looked  thoughtfully  before  him,  and 
then  he  went  on  in  his  soliloquy,  "  What  was  the  story 
that  old  Serapion  used  to  tell?  In  the  Theba'id  there 
dwelt  a  penitent  who  thought  he  led  a  perfectly  saintly 
life  and  far  transcended  all  his  companions  in  stern  vir- 
tue. Once  he  dreamed  that  there  was  in  Alexandria  a 
man  even  more  perfect  than  himself;  Phabis  was  his 
name,  and  he  was  a  shoemakei,  dwelling  in  the  White 
road  near  the  harbor  of  Kibotos.  The  anchorite  at 
once  went  to  the  capital  and  found  the  shoemaker,  and 
when  he  asked  him,  'How  do  you  serve  the  Lord? 
How  do  you  conduct  your  life  ? '  Phabis  looked  at  him 
in  astonishment.  'I?  well,  my  Saviour!  I  work  early 
and  late,  and  provide  for  my  family,  and  pray  morning 
and  evening  in  few  words  for  the  whole  city.'  Petrus> 
it  seems  to  me,  is  such  an  one  as  Phabis;  but  many 
roagls  lead  to  God,  and  we — and  I — " 

Again  a  cold  shiver  interrupted  his  meditation,  and 
as  morning  approached  the  cold  was  so  keen  that  he  en- 


296  HOMO    SUM. 

deavored  to  light  a  fire.  While  he  was  painfully  blow- 
ing the  charcoal  Hernias  came  up  to  him. 

He  had  learned  from  Polykarp's  escort  where  Pau- 
lus  was  to  be  found,  and  as  he  stood  opposite  his  friend 
he  grasped  his  hand,  stroked  his  rough  hair  and  thanked 
him  with  deep  and  tender  emotion  for  the  great  sacrifice 
he  had  made  for  him  when  he  had  taken  upon  himself 
the  dishonoring  punishment  of  his  fault. 

Paulus  declined  all  pity  or  thanks,  and  spoke  to 
Hermas  of  his  father  and  of  his  future,  until  it  was 
light,  and  the  young  man  prepared  to  go  down  to  the 
oasis  to  pay  the  last  honors  to  the  dead.  To  his  en- 
treaty that  he  would  accompany  him,  Paulus  only  an- 
swered : 

"No — no;  not  now,  not  now;  for  if  I  were  to  mix 
with  men  now  I  should  fly  asunder  like  a  rotten  wine- 
skin full  of  fermenting  wine;  a  swarm  of  bees  is  buzzing 
in  my  head,  and  an  ant-hill  is  growing  in  my  bosom. 
Go  now  and  leave  me  alone." 

After  the  funeral  ceremony  Hermas  took  an  affec- 
tionate leave  of  Agapitus,  Petrus,  and  Dorothea,  and 
then  returned  to  the  Alexandrian,  with  whom  he  went 
to  the  cave  where  he  had  so  long  lived  with  his  dead 
father. 

There  Paulus  delivered  to  him  his  father's  letter  to 
his  uncle,  and  spoke  to  him  more  lovingly  than  he  had 
ever  done  before.  At  night  they  both  lay  down  on 
their  beds,  but  neither  of  them  found  rest  or  sleep. 

From  time  to  time  Paulus  murmured  in  a  low  voice, 
but  in  tones  of  keen  anguish,  "In  vain — all  in  vain — " 
and  again,  "I  seek,  I  seek — but  who  can  show  me  the 
way  ?" 

They   both    rose   before   daybreak;    Hermas  went 


HOMO   SUM.  297 

once  more  down  to  the  well,  knelt  down  near  it,  and 
felt  as  though  he  were  bidding  farewell  to  his  father  and 
Miriam. 

Memories  of  every  kind  rose  up  in  his  soul,  and  so 
mighty  is  the  glorifying  power  of  love  that  the  misera- 
ble, brown-skinned  shepherdess  Miriam  seemed  to  him 
a  thousand-fold  more  beautiful  than  that  splendid 
woman  who  filled  the  soul  of  a  great  artist  with 
delight. 

Shortly  after  sunrise  Paulus  conducted  him  to  the 
fishing-port,  and  to  the  Israelite  friend  who  managed 
the  business  of  his  father's  house;  he  caused  him  to  be 
bountifully  supplied  with  gold  and  accompanied  him  to 
the  ship  laden  with  charcoal,  that  was  to  convey  him 
to  Klysma. 

The  parting  was  very  painful  to  him,  and  when 
Hermas  saw  his  eyes  full  of  tears  and  felt  his  hands 
tremble,  he  said,  "Do  not  be  troubled  about  me, 
Paulus;  we  shall  meet  again,  and  I  will  never  forget  you 
and  my  father." 

"And  your  mother,"  added  the  anchorite.  "I  shall 
miss  you  sorely,  but  trouble  is  the  very  thing  I  look 
for.  He  who  succeeds  in  making  the  sorrows  of  the 
whole  world  his  own — he  whose  soul  is  touched  by  a 
sorrow  at  every  breath  he  draws — he  indeed  must  long 
for  the  call  of  the  Redeemer." 

Hermas  fell  weeping  on  his  neck  and  started  to  feel 
how  burning  the  anchorite's  lips  were  as  he  pressed 
them  to  his  forehead. 

At  last  the  sailors  drew  in  the  ropes;  Paulus  turned 
once  more  to  the  youth.  "You  are  going  your  own 
way  now,"  he  said.  Do  not  forget  the  Holy  Mountain, 
and  hear  this:    Of  all  sins  three  are  most  deadly:  To 


298  HOMO    SUM. 

serve  false  gods,  to  covet  your  neighbor's  wife,  and  to 
raise  your  hands  to  kill;  keep  yourself  from  them.  And 
of  all  virtues  two  are  the  least  conspicuous,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  greatest:  Truthfulness  and  humility, 
practise  these.  Of  all  consolations  these  two  are  the 
best:  The  consciousness  of  wishing  the  right  however 
much  we  may  err  and  stumble  through  human  weak- 
ness, and  prayer." 

Once  more  he  embraced  the  departing  youth,  then 
he  went  across  the  sand  of  the  shore  back  to  the  moun- 
tain without  looking  round. 

Hermas  looked  after  him  for  a  long  time  greatly 
distressed,  for  his  strong  friend  tottered  like  a  drunken 
man,  and  often  pressed  his  hand  to  his  head  which  was 
no  doubt  as  burning  as  his  lips. 

The  young  warrior  never  again  saw  the  Holy  Moun- 
tain or  Paulus,  but  after  he  himself  had  won  fame  and 
distinction  in  the  army  he  met  again  with  Petrus'  son, 
Polykarp,  whom  the  emperor  had  sent  for  to  Byzan- 
tium with  great  honor,  and  in  whose  house  the  Gaulish 
woman  Sirona  presided  as  a  true  and  loving  wife  and 
mother. 

After  his  parting  from  Hermas,  Paulus  disappeared. 
The  other  anchorites  long  sought  him  in  vain,  as  well 
as  bishop  Agapitus,  who  had  learned  from  Petrus  that 
the  Alexandrian  had  been  punished  and  expelled  in 
innocence,  and  who  desired  to  offer  him  pardon  and 
consolation  in  his  own  person.  At  last,  ten  days  after, 
Orion  the  Saite  found  him  in  a  remote  cave.  The  angel 
of  death  had  called  him  only  a  few  hours  before  while 
in  the  act  of  prayer,  for  he  was  scarcely  cold.  He 
was  kneeling  with  his  forehead  against  the  rocky  wall 
and  his  emaciated  hands  were  closely  clasped  over  Mag- 


HOMO    SUM.  299 

dalena's  ring.  When  his  companions  had  laid  him  on 
his  bier  his  noble,  gentle  features  wore  a  pure  and 
transfiguring  smile. 

The  news  of  his  death  flew  with  wonderful  rapidity- 
through  the  oasis  and  the  fishing-town,  and  far  and 
wide  to  the  caves  of  the  anchorites,  and  even  to  the 
huts  of  the  Amalekite  shepherds.  The  procession  that 
followed  him  to  his  last  resting-place  stretched  to  an  in- 
visible distance ;  in  front  of  all  walked  Agapitus  with  the 
elders  and  deacons,  and  behind  them  Petrus  with  his 
wife  and  family,  to  which  Sirona  now  belonged.  Poly- 
karp,  who  was  now  recovering,  laid  a  palm-branch  in 
token  of  reconcilement  on  his  grave,  which  was  visited 
as  a  sacred  spot  by  the  many  whose  needs  he  had  al- 
leviated in  secret,  and  before  long  by  all  the  penitents 
from  far  and  wide. 

Petrus  erected  a  monument  over  his  grave,  on  which 
Polykarp  incised  the  words  which  Paulus'  trembling 
fingers  had  traced  just  before  his  death  with  a  piece  of 
charcoal  on  the  wall  of  his  cave : 

"Pray  for  me,  a  miserable  man — for  I  was  a  man." 


OF  THE 

1    UNIVERSITY 

THE    - 


GEORG    EBERS 

ROMANCES  8c  BIOGRAPHIES 

COMPRISING  I 

AN  EGYPTIAN  PRINCESS, 

TWO  VOLUMES 

THE  BRIDE   OF  THE  NILE, 

TWO  VOLUMES 

THE  BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE, 

ONE    VOLUME 

SERAPIS,  THE  EMPEROR, 

ONE   VOLUME  TWO   VOLUMES 

UARDA,  HOMO   SUM, 

TWO   VOLUMES  ONE   VOLUME 

THE  SISTERS,  4   QUESTION, 

ONE   VOLUME  ONE   VOLUME 

A    WORD,    ONLY  A    WORD, 

ONE    VOLUME 

LORENZ  ALMA-TADEMA, 

ONE    VOLUME 

RICHARD   LEPSIUS, 

ONE    VOLUME 


Romances,  14  volumes,  cloth,  in  case,    ------   $11  00 

M     and  Biographies,  16  volumes,  cloth,  in  case,         13  00 
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THE  MARTYR  OF  GOLGOTHA,  by  Enrique 
Perez  Escrich,  from  the  Spanish  by  Adele  Josephine 
Godoy,  in  two  volumes.  Price,  paper  covers,  $1.00.  Cloth 
binding,  $1.75. 


"  There  must  always  be  some  difference  of  opinion  concern- 
ing the  right  of  the  romancer  to  treat  of  sacred  events  and  to  in- 
troduce sacred  personages  into  his  story.  Some  hold  that  any  attempt 
to  embody  an  idea  of  our  Saviour's  character,  experiences,  sayings 
and  teachings  in  the  form  of  fiction  must  have  the  effect  of  lower- 
ing our  imaginative  ideal,  and  rendering  trivial  and  common-place 
that  which  in  the  real  Gospel  is  spontaneous,  inspired  and  sublime. 
But  to  others  an  historical  novel  like  the  '  Martyr  of  Golgotha' 
comes  like  a  revelation,  opening  fresh  vistas  of  thought,  filling  out 
blanks  and  making  clear  what  had  hitherto  been  vague  and  unsat- 
isfactory, quickening  insight  and  sympathy,  and  actually  heighten- 
ing the  conception  of  divine  traits.  The  author  gives  also  a  wide 
survey  of  the  general  history  of  the  epoch  and  shows  the  various 
shaping  causes  which  were  influencing  the  rise  and  development 
of  the  new  religion  in  Palestine.  There  is,  indeed,  an  astonishing 
vitality  and  movement  throughout  the  work,  and,  elaborate  though 
the  plot  is,  with  all  varieties  and  all  contrasts  of  people  and  con- 
ditions, with  constant  shiftings  of  the  scene,  the  story  yet  moves, 
and  moves  the  interest  of  the  reader  too,  along  the  rapid  current 
of  events  towards  the  powerful  culmination.  The  writer  uses  the 
Catholic  traditions,  and  in  many  points  interprets  the  story  in  a 
way  which  differs  altogether  from  that  familiar  to  Protestants  :  for 
example,  making  Mary  Magdalen  the  same  Mary  who  was  the 
sister  of  Lazarus  and  Martha,  and  who  sat  listening  at  the  Saviour's 
feet.  But  in  general,  although  there  is  a  free  use  made  of  Catho- 
lic legends  and  traditions,  their  effort  is  natural  and  pleasing.  The 
romance  shows  a  degree  of  a  southern  fervor  which  is  foreign  to 
English  habit,  but  the  flowery,  poetic  style  —  although  it  at  first 
repels  the  reader — is  so  individual,  so  much  a  part  of  the  author, 
that  it  is  soon  accepted  as  the  naive  expression  of  a  mind  kindled 
and  carried  away  by  its  subject,  Spanish  literature  has  of  late 
given  us  a  variety  of  novels  and  romances,  all  of  which  are  in  their 
way  so  good  that  we  must  believe  that  there  is  a  new  generation  of 
writers  in  Spain  who  are  discarding  the  worn-out  forms  and  tra- 
ditions, and  are  putting  fresh  lite  and  energy  into  works  which 
will  give  pleasure  to  the  whole  world  of  readers. "  —  Philadelphia 
American,  March  5,   1887. 

William  S.    Gottsberger,  Ptiblisker,  New    York. 


WAR    AND    PEACE.      A    Historical    Novel,    by    Count    Leon 

Tolstoi',  translated  into  French  by  a  Russian  Lady  and  from  the 

French  by  Clara    Bell.    Authorized  Edition.     Complete,    Three 

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««  U.    The  Invasion,    1807 — 1812  in  two  volumes.     Paper,  $1.00. 

Cloth,  $1.75  per  set. 
^m.    Borodino,  The  French  at  Moscow  — Epilogue,  1812 — 1820, 
in  two  volumes.     Paper,  $1.00.     Cloth,  $1.75  per  set. 


OPINIONS   OF    THE   PRESS. 


"A  story  of  Russia  in  the  time  of  Napoleon's  wars.  It  is  a 
story  of  the  family  rather  than  of  the  field,  and  is  charming  in  its 
delineations  of  quaint  Russian  customs.  It  is  a  novel  of  absorb- 
ing interest,  full  of  action  and  with  a  well  managed  plot;  a 
book  well  worth  reading." — Philadelphia  Enquirer. 


"The  story  of  'War  and  Peace'  ranks  as  the  greatest  of 
Slavic  historical  novels.  It  is  intensely  dramatic  in  places  and 
the  battle  scenes  are  marvels  of  picturesque  description.  At 
other  points  the  vein  is  quiet  and  philosophical,  and  the  reader 
is  held  by  the  soothing  charm  that  is  in  complete  contrast  with 
the  action  and  energy  of  battle." — Observer,  Uticat  N.  Y. 


"War  and  Peace  is  a  historical  novel  and  is  extremely  inter- 
esting, not  only  in  its  description  of  the  times  of  the  great  inva- 
sion eighty  years  ago,  but  in  its  vivid  pictures  of  life  and  character 
in  Russia." — Journal  of  Commerce,  New  York. 


"  On  general  principles  the  historical  novel  is  neither  valua- 
ble as  fact  nor  entertaining  as  fiction.  But  '  War  and  Peace'  is 
a  striking  exception  to  this  rule.  It  deals  with  the  most  impres- 
sive and  dramatic  period  of  European  history.  It  reproduces  a 
living  panorama  of  scene,  and  actors,  and  circumstance  idealized 
into  the  intense  and  artistic  life  of  imaginative  composition,  and 
written  with  a  brilliancy  of  Style  and  epigrammatic  play  of 
thought,  a  depth  of  significance,  that  render  the  story  one  of 
the  most  fascinating  and  absorbing." — Boston  Evening  Traveller. 

Wtn.  S.  Gottsberger,  Publisher,  New  York. 


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